Federal Conservative Party leadership contender Pierre Poilievre addressed 600 attendees at a fundraising dinner at the Cypress Centre on Monday night.--News Photo Collin Gallant
cgallant@medicinehatnews.com@CollinGallant
Pierre Poilievre arrived in Alberta on Monday, shook hands rather than eat during a $200-per-plate fundraising dinner and then spoke for an hour to rounds of applause from 600 Medicine Hatters at the Cypress Centre.
The Conservative Party of Canada leadership candidate told them that economic and political systems in Canada were “unjust’ and rigged against them. He supports the widespread use of cryptocurrency as a way around government control, decried bureaucracy, pandemic health mandates and said more freedom was the answer.
That would be ushered in with him as prime minister.
Poilievre, who was not made available to the media, began with an analogy to a customer and cashier thanking each other after a transaction because both had benefitted.
“No one ever files their taxes and writes, ‘thank you,'” he said to chuckles. “Of course the government has to exist to enforce the border and pave roads and pay police, but on the continuum we should always be going as far as possible to the side of freedom.”
He called for less intrusive government in both personal lives and the economy, encourage energy development, and promised to eliminate the price on carbon and cut federal spending to tackle inflation and affordability. Specifically, he would cut all funding to the CBC and dismantle the Canada Infrastructure Bank, calling out the body that is providing a $400-million, 1 per cent loan to expand irrigation in southern Alberta.
“It guarantees the profits of failing and incompetent construction companies and executives,” he said, later describing his orders to the Bank of Canada.
“Stop printing money for the government to spend and the wealthy to borrow.”
Poilievre was in Kelowna on Sunday and made several smaller events in Alberta on Monday before arriving in the Hat for the evening event that sold out 600 seats for dinner at a fundraiser for the local conservative rising association.
A huge crowd is expected tonight in Calgary when he speaks at an event at Spruce Meadows Equestrian Centre, before heading to Edmonton.
The 42-year-old grew up in Calgary but has served as the MP for Ottawa-Carleton since 2004. He was one of the first to declare his intentions to seek the leadership after former Leader Erin O’Toole was ousted, and appears to be the front runner nationally.
The crowd was enthusiastic about his chances on Monday in Medicine Hat, where local riding president Ryan Thorburn told the News the event was a “good fundraiser for the association and for Pierre.”
“That’s what this is about, getting some common sense back into government.”
Ticket proceeds went to the local riding association, but leadership donations were accepted, and memberships sold ahead of a June 3 deadline to vote in the contest, which will be decided Sept. 10.
Tim Seitz, a local realtor and former campaign chair for MP Glen Motz, said his mind is made up, placing Poilievre atop a listing of potential candidates that stopped at three.
“Not that I think it’ll get that far,” said Sietz.
Bob Olson, a former Alberta PC candidate and reeve of Cypress County, said he’s watched Poilievre for several years, and likes his style and tenacity.
“He’s got a manner about him that he’s a winner,” said Olson, who felt that could turn the tide in Central Canada, where the party needs to gain seats if it wants to unseat the Liberal government.
Motz said he’s backing Poilievre because he likes his politics and wider appeal.
“He can kick up some controversy by being blunt,” he said during his introduction. “We’ve all seen enough of this current government and (Poilievre) can unite the right and unite the centre.”
