Conservative Party

Last Saturday in Ottawa, Pierre Poilievre delivered what many described as the most important speech of his life. For weeks, the Liberals have rapidly regained ground in the polls following Justin Trudeau’s announcement that he was leaving politics.

Amidst a Liberal leadership race that former Bank of Canada governor Mark Carney seems to already have in the bag, the NDP vote is collapsing, with the governing Liberals being the main beneficiaries.

OTTAWA — As Conservative Leader Pierre Poilievre promises to cut foreign aid that he says is flowing to “dictators and terrorists,” his office is silent as to whether that includes assistance to Taliban-controlled Afghanistan.

For more than a year, Poilievre has taken aim at Canada’s foreign aid spending when it comes to questions of how he would finance defence expenditures under a Conservative government should he win the next election.

OTTAWA—Conservative Leader Pierre Poilievre proved one thing over the weekend: he won’t be defined by anyone’s narrative but his own.

For weeks, a debate has been swirling in Ottawa. Fuelled by media, pundits, and unnamed sources, questions have been asked about the need for a so-called “pivot” away from core issues, like axing the carbon tax, and toward a narrative that more directly confronts the existential threat American President Donald Trump poses to the Canada-United States relationship.

OTTAWA—Pivot? What pivot?

That was the message Conservative Leader Pierre Poilievre projected Saturday at a patriotic, campaign-style rally that framed the Conservatives as the party of “Canada First.”

In doing so, Poilievre rejected the notion that his party was officially abandoning its relentless crusade against the “carbon tax” to take on the more immediate threat posed by U.S. President Donald Trump. Instead, he suggested protecting Canada’s interests has been his core message all along.

OTTAWA – The Conservatives’ favourite slogan — “axe the tax” — has been a rallying cry for the better part of three years as frustrated Canadians looked for relief from the rising cost of living.
But now, with key Liberal leadership candidates backing away from the federal consumer carbon price, some have been asking whether the Tories need to axe their slogan as well.

On Saturday, Conservative Leader Pierre Poilievre put the speculation to rest.

With his unapologetic conservatism, his vow to fix a “broken” nation, his “common sense” fight against elites and all things woke, his norm-shattering personal attacks against political rivals, his pugilistic use of demeaning nicknames and his open disdain of the news media, Pierre Poilievre, the front-runner to become Canada’s next leader, has become a darling of the American right.

Some of President Trump’s most prominent supporters have publicly showered Mr. Poilievre, the leader of the main opposition Conservative Party, with compliments — a remarkable feat given that Canadian opposition leaders tend to attract little attention in the United States, much less praise.

OTTAWA — As Conservative Leader Pierre Poilievre vows to carry his crusade against the carbon tax into the next election, Canadians still need to hear more from him, say some of his supporters.

Standing outside the Ottawa convention centre, National Post spoke with nearly 20 of his supporters and others who stood in line to waiting to see Poilievre speak at his “Canada First” rally Saturday, some of whom were unable to get inside and told the event was at capacity.

OTTAWA — Canada’s Conservative leader used a rally in Ottawa on Saturday to deliver a message to Donald Trump. “Let me be clear: We will never be the 51st state,” said Pierre Poilievre, warning that he is prepared to defend Canadians against the president at all costs.

“We will bear any burden and pay any price to protect the sovereignty and independence of our country,” he said.

Surrounded by hundreds of supporters wearing red and white, Conservative Leader Pierre Poilievre firmly repudiated U.S. President Donald Trump’s 51st state threats and said Canada “will bear any burden” to protect its sovereignty during a rally in Ottawa.

“Sometimes it does take a threat to remind us what we have, what we could lose and what we could become. The unjustified threats of tariffs and 51st statehood of Donald Trump have united our people to defend the country we love,” Poilievre said.