A year after his decisive first-ballot leadership victory coming in as members’ first choice in nearly every riding across the country, Pierre Poilievre is delivering 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 is angling 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 is much the same, with supporters gathered behind him on stage and waving party signage from the audience.
He is being introduced by his wife Anaida Poilievre, as she’s been doing 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.
They indicate he’ll be using this speech 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.”
He’ll also pledge to axe both the carbon tax and now what he’s calling “the inflation tax,” and balance the federal budget.
Follow along for live updates below.