Conservative leadership hopeful Pierre Poilievre deserves credit, not opprobrium, for his willingness to speak and listen to those who are feeling angry and alienated, rather than immediately dismissing their concerns as illegitimate. This sometimes leads him down a path where he risks turning himself into a populist caricature, but providing a mainstream avenue to channel this anger is undoubtedly better than letting it fester.
Former Ontario MPP and Conservative leadership contender, Roman Baber, in a recent email to Conservative Party members pledged to “fire Dr. Tam on day 1” if he becomes the next prime minister of Canada.
Baber in his email said:
On September 2, 2020, Dr. Theresa Tam told Canadians to wear a mask during intimacy. That day, she lost any credibility she had left, but Justin Trudeau and many Conservatives are still afraid to challenge her. Not me.
As Prime Minister, I will fire Dr. Tam on my first day in office!
Baber as one of the more socially and fiscally liberal leadership candidates has been leaning into his opposition to COVID-19 restrictions and mandates, which he became well-known for after he was removed from the Ontario PC Party for openly challenging Premier Doug Ford’s draconian approach to public health in January of 2021.
The cultural ignorance of the Conservative candidates is a revealing insult
You can’t make it up, although one suspects some of the people involved did make it up. The people in question are the ones who want to lead the Conservative Party of Canada. You’d think they’d want to be accurate and you’d think they’d be superpositive about good Canadian-made productions in storytelling and themes. Especially supersuccessful Canadian TV in the international market.
Not so. In that eccentrically organized but revealing Conservative leadership candidates TV debate the other night, the candidates were asked about their personal taste in books, music and the last binge-watch TV they enjoyed. Not hard questions but good, get-to-know-you questions.
The list of shows they mentioned amounts to a telltale revelation. These people seem to be completely ignorant of Canadian-made TV that’s renowned, award-winning and made in their own backyards. It was like dirty laundry being aired; it was an excursion into the mind-boggling.
The snobbery nears self-parody. Roman Baber is called out for stating he learned to speak English from Al Bundy in ‘Married with children’ and you can practically see the author hyperventilating on his fainting couch. Hell that makes me like Baber even more, I thought he came across as a genuine human being during the last debate. I’m probably voting PPC again given the CPC’s leftward drift but this biased crap outdoes the CBC.
CanCon is typically humourless PC garbage that force feeds the lived experience of transvestite migrant farm labourers or other such drivel. That’s because all arts funding eventually becomes toxic lesbians funding other toxic lesbians with your tax dollars. It’s a grift and people instinctively know to stay away. (Go incognito)
Conservative Party leadership candidate Patrick Brown says social conservatives would have a place in a party led by him but that he stands firm on his views on topics such as abortion.
In an interview on CTV’s Question Period, Brown pointed to his time in provincial politics when social conservatives were elected while he was at the helm of the Progressive Conservative Party of Ontario.
Conservative Party of Canada leadership candidate Jean Charest is claiming the Freedom Convoy “terrorized” and “laid siege to” Ottawa, and that his rival Pierre Poilievre “appeals to the fringe minority.”
The former Quebec Liberal premier made the claims in a campaign mail-out obtained by True North. It appears to have been sent exclusively to Ottawa residents, although Charest’s campaign team would not confirm – opting instead to say that “over 50,000 letters have been sent nationwide so far.”
From Poilievre’s banking pledges to absent climate talk, former PM Campbell questions direction of Conservative Party
Amid discussions about the battle for the soul of the Conservative Party, former Prime Minister Kim Campbell says without leadership on policies such as climate change, the party’s identity will remain in question.
“I’m sorry, if you’re not worried about climate change, and you’re not worried about resurgent authoritarianism, and you’re not a champion of the rights of women to make the contributions they need to make in society, I’m not interested,” she said in an interview on CTV’s Question Period airing Sunday.
This is really aimed at Poilievre. I don’t think he’s going to be the savior of the Conservative party but no question his popularity strikes the LPC media as dangerous. Kim sounds like the Liberal Harpy she always was, just a bit more shrill.
This week, Canadians tuned into the Conservative Party’s boring and uneventful leadership debate. We don’t blame you if you tuned out of the debate, but you may have missed the media scrum with candidates after the debate, in which independent media journalists ran circles around so-called reporters from the legacy media. While the legacy media pushed their favourite pet cause – climate change – independent media asked candidates thorough questions to help Canadians get a better understanding of the candidates.
Pierre Poilievre’s performance in the first two Conservative leadership debates is a strong argument against his suitability for the job of prime minister. Whether Conservatives nonetheless decide to put him in charge of the party will say a lot about their credibility as a potential alternative to the Liberal government.
He’s making lots of people mad.
Many were prepared for the first official Conservative leadership debate to resemble a WWE Smackdown. Last week’s unofficial edition quickly descended into a cacophony of snide remarks and name calling–– and that was without the inclusion of Patrick Brown, who’s been warring with Pierre Poilevre on Twitter.
CTV – Poilievre’s crypto policy questioned, and other notable moments from the English
Conservative Party of Canada leadership hopefuls Scott Aitchison, Roman Baber, Patrick Brown, Jean Charest, Leslyn Lewis, and Pierre Poilievre squared off in the first official party debate on Wednesday night in Edmonton, Alta.
From policy conversations to some digs at each other, interrupted at times by a sad trombone buzzer cutting debaters off, here are some key moments from the English-language debate.
NATPO – First official Conservative leadership debate features calmer candidates, paddles and sad trombones
Conservative leadership hopefuls held a tamer but occasionally circus-sounding debate that covered topics from abortion to their favourite music, with format and moderator criticized for stifling candidates’ answers.
It was the first time all six leadership contenders — Scott Aitchison, Roman Baber, Patrick Brown, Jean Charest, Leslyn Lewis and Pierre Poilievre — faced off in the first of two official debates organized by the Conservative Party of Canada.
CBC – Conservative candidates spar over inflation, abortion — and TV shows — in an unusual leadership debate
Conservative leadership candidates took the stage Wednesday in Edmonton for what turned into an unorthodox, wide-ranging debate that featured discussions about the war in Ukraine, abortion and supply management — with detours on the topics of binge-worthy TV shows and the candidates’ current reading lists.
Debate moderator Tom Clark, a former veteran political journalist, promised a debate heavy on policy issues and free of interruptions, which was largely the case for the the bulk of the debate.
Conservative MP Pierre Poilievre, the perceived front-runner in the contest to replace Erin O’Toole, focused most of his speaking time on economic issues, the cost of living and surging inflation figures.
Global – Conservative leadership hopefuls debate future of party, trade Netflix suggestions
The six candidates for the Conservative leadership squared off in Edmonton Wednesday night in a debate that showcased their differing visions for the future of the party, and also what they’re currently watching on Netflix.
After a fractious unofficial debate in Ottawa last week, the Conservative party used the leadership contest’s single English-language debate to try and highlight the candidates’ lighter side — including questions about what music they listen to, what they’re currently reading, and the last thing they “binge watched.”
It was dull as dishwater and the CPC Brain Trust’s choice of moderator was an eye-opener. I’m convinced they want to lose.
No change for me, much as I like Poilievre’s scrappiness he can’t change the CPC. LPC 2.0 is what they want to be.
The CPC leaders support mass immigration and mass baby killing, except Lewis. Go figure.
Mass immigration benefits no one except the corporate class at the expense of working people. They love their slaves.
Conservative leadership candidates prep for first official party debate
EDMONTON – Six candidates competing to become the next leader of the Conservative Party of Canada will meet on stage tonight for the first of two official debates.
The event in Edmonton comes less than a week after five out of the six contenders put on a feisty performance during an unofficial debate in Ottawa, where much focus was paid to fighting COVID-19 mandates and the recent convoy protest in the nation’s capital.
After a lunchtime Pierre Poilievre rally in Fergus, Ont., a woman named Ava had a burning question: She wanted a journalist to ask how Mr. Poilievre can be trusted when a “member” of the World Economic Forum is co-chair of his campaign.
She was talking about John Baird, the former foreign affairs minister under Stephen Harper. Ava believes billionaires Bill Gates and George Soros are trying to take over the world, in league with a German octogenarian named Klaus Schwab, who founded the WEF more than 50 years ago.
Ava is not alone. The first person I spoke to at that Fergus rally a couple of weeks ago told me Prime Minister Justin Trudeau doesn’t really run the country – Mr. Schwab does.
People who believe the Liberals are the natural governing party of Canada are predictably clutching their pearls and wagging their disapproving fingers at the political brawl in the Conservative leadership race.
Twenty minutes into Thursday’s debate between five of the six candidates for the Conservative party leadership, Scott Aitchison appealed for calm and seriousness.
“If we can’t go out and speak to Canadians in all parts of the country and make sure that we are trustworthy, that we don’t scare them … every time I hear a Conservative talk about some conspiracy theory, I realize that there’s another group of swing voters in the [Greater Toronto Area] that just are not going to come our way,” Aitchison said.
“Because all we do is yell and scream at each other. We’re witnessing it now.”
Honestly this reads like a lament from CBC’ that Charest got his butt kicked.
OTTAWA, Ont. — Spoiler alert: The race to lead Canada’s Conservatives is nasty, and it’s going to stay that way.
Five contenders just met in the first unofficial debate of the three-month-old race, and their fiery exchanges set the tone for the next four months of campaigning.
