QUEBEC CITY –
A year after his decisive first-ballot leadership victory coming in as members’ first choice in nearly every riding across the country, Pierre Poilievre delivered a rally-style speech at the Conservative convention aimed at pushing his “common sense” message beyond the base, to the broader public.
So far this weekend, buoyed by positive polling numbers and a growing list of prominent party members proclaiming he’ll be Canada’s next prime minister, party unity seems to be holding strong, even as some contentious issues are back on party members’ priority lists.
Tonight, Poilievre angled to fire up the most faithful Conservatives in a similar way as he’s sought to do during his “axe the tax” cross-Canada rallies this summer. Tonight’s setup was much the same, with supporters gathered behind him on stage and waving party signage from the audience.
He was introduced by his wife Anaida Poilievre, as she’s done as part of a massive advertising campaign appearing on voters’ televisions and phone screens for the last month.
In advance of his address, his office released to media a trio of excerpts from the speech, including lines seeking to frame the next election as a binary choice between: “A common-sense Conservative government” that frees people and makes life more affordable and safe, or “a reckless coalition of Trudeau and the NDP” that will tax you and release “crime and chaos in your neighbourhood.”
Here’s a minute-by-minute recap of Poilievre’s big speech at the 2023 Conservative convention.
Follow along for live updates below.
7:47 p.m.: After an hour, Poilievre wraps his speech by painting a very rosy picture of a country he’d build, Ladies and gentlemen, that is what bring it home means. These are our people. They are our country. This our home, let’s bring it home, he ends with major cheers.
7:40 p.m.: Crime and justice phase of his rally speech. Poilievre goes on “jail not bail,” calls out Trudeau’s Bill C-21 and says it’s not law-abiding hunters that are shooting up neighbourhoods. Also speaks about the need to support the military and re-build it with money from the backroom bureaucracy. Also vows to repeal Trudeau “censorship” bills. He’s referring to online streaming and online news acts.
7:35 p.m.: The choice is between Trudeau’s “costly coalition and my common-sense plan,” Poilievre restates. They choose taxes, I choose technology. Expect to hear more of this message, too.
7:30 p.m.: Going over Trudeau gov’t energy and climate policies, Poilievre claims they have “done nothing” for the environment, and so he plans to scrap most of them. We will massively increase Canadian production of emissions-free energy by green-lighting green projects, carbon capture and storage to make our oilsands the world’s lowest-emitting. “We will approve more hydro dams and tidal wave power to turn water and gravity into lighting,” he promises.
7:25 p.m.: Every time a worker turns around, he is punished for doing the right thing. You make it, Trudeau takes it. Oh, you took an extra shift, they clawback your child benefit. You get a bonus, he bumps you into the next tax bracket and takes away your reward, Poilievre says. It’s not just a matter of money but a matter of hope. Humans need to progress towards an achievable goal.
7:18 p.m.: Poilievre talks about how balancing the budget has been a longstanding policy goal of every major party at every level of government, citing past prime ministers both Liberals and Conservative, before vowing he’ll do the same. No timeline though on how long it would take to pay down the current deficit.
Mulroney, Chrétien, Martin, Harper and even NDP provincial governments accepted that balanced budgets were the safest way to secure future funding of schools, hospitals and roads.
7:14 p.m.: We’re into the ‘here’s what we’ll do’ part of the speech. Promises include: scrapping the Asian infrastructure bank, the ArriveCan app, and bonuses for government executives.
7:09 p.m.: After talking “axe the carbon tax” Poilievre says there is a second tax that he will axe: “the inflation tax.” This is not a government policy. He is broadly describing the rising cost of living, which he blames on government spending. “It is the worst tax, because it is sneaky,” he also calls it a “silent” theft that picks the pockets of the poor. Also expect to hear more about the “inflation tax” as QP gets going again in a few weeks.
7:05 p.m.: Canadians are not small or angry, they are big and generous and deserve better, Poilievre said. Re-states a line he’s said before: Trudeau is not worth the cost. Expect to keep hearing this one.
7:01 p.m.: Looks like Trudeau isn’t the only federal politician making callouts to young people. On the heels of his post-caucus message to millenials, Poilievre says eight years ago, at their high school graduations their eyes beamed with possibility, now their eyes have heavy bags under them as they deliver UberEats as a third job. The youth aren’t angry, they are too exhausted to be angry, he said.
7:00 p.m.: We’re into the anecdotal phase of the speech, Poilievre gets a bit angry talking about some of the Canadians he said he met while on the road this summer who are facing considerable hardships, from finding themselves unable to afford their homes, to having to ask to move in with family. Poilievre said he was angry for them.
6:54 p.m.: Trudeau and I agree things are broken, Poilievre says, we just disagree on what and who broke it. What kind of prime minister says his country is not the best after he’s been leading it for 8 years? He asks. Some context: Trudeau has said that he thinks Canada is the best country, and wants to make it better, has slammed Poilievre’s ‘Canada is broken’ rhetoric.
6:50 p.m.: Think back to when Trudeau was elected in 2015, Poilievre said, described it as a strong time for the economy, with a balanced budget, for which he thanks former Conservative PM Stephen Harper. When Trudeau took over, Canada was “rich, affordable, and safe.” But eight years later… Poilievre goes on.
6:47 p.m.: Poilievre says the promise of Canada has always been that every generation is a little bit better off than their parents, but that’s a promise Trudeau has broken and Poilievre vows if elected, he would restore it so a kid that starts anywhere can get anywhere.
6:45 p.m.: Poilievre gets emotional in thanking his adoptive parents, looks to the crowd and thanks his mom.
6:43 p.m.: The day I knew she was the one was when we were driving back to Ottawa… Poilievre starts into an anecdote about how she repaired their under-engine cover with a hair elastic in the dead of winter.
6:41 p.m.: The couple kisses several times before the crowd begins chanting “bring it home,” one of Poilievre’s main slogans. Poilievre begins speaking, in French.
6:40 p.m.: Anaida introduces Poilievre, he takes the stage to campaign-style instrumentals and the crowd is on their feet as he makes his way through, to the podium specially set-up for his remarks, in the middle of the convention centre main hall.
6:35 p.m.: The job ahead is great, Anaida says. Most of you get to watch my husband in the thick of it, I get to watch him behind the scenes. She describes his nit-picking over details in his home office. She said the Pierre people see, represent hours of him diving into the issue to understand it fully first. That’s how he predicted the painful inflation people are feeling today, she suggests.
6:32 p.m.: It is when people are most distressed that they need leadership, Anaida said. When someone shows you pain or fear, it is not the time to turn your back on them, she said to applause.
6:30 p.m.: Nearly one year ago it was my opportunity to introduce myself to you, too, Anaida says. She’s referencing the very personal and detailed introduction she made when Poilievre won the leadership. That speech was in Ottawa. She’s expanding on it now, sharing her family’s experience and sacrifices, notes her brother is in the audience.
6:25 p.m.: After some waiting, Poilievre’s wife Anaida took the stage, introducing her husband in French first, a communications strategy the Conservative leader has also followed in his speeches, even in question period in the House of Commons, it’s French first.
6:05 p.m.: The room is packed, the weekend gathering in Quebec City is being billed as the biggest in-person convention the party has had in its history. Classic rock music plays as the crowd is told to take their seats as Poilievre is about to take the stage.