CALGARY—Conservative Party Leader Pierre Poilievre told the party’s national convention that he will remain committed to conservative principles and not listen to those who want the party to abandon its values.
“One of the most important lessons I have gained from listening to you throughout this convention is that you told us to ignore the voices who keep telling us to abandon our conservative principles,” Poilievre said at the convention in Calgary on Jan. 30.
Poilievre’s speech came ahead of the announcement of the results of his leadership vote, which he passed with 87.4 percent support. The vote was mandated by the Conservative Party’s constitution, which requires the leader to face a review following an election loss.
In his sweeping speech, Poilievre highlighted the policies his party would implement if it wins the next election, emphasizing affordability and the economy, fighting crime, ensuring self-sufficiency, and promoting unity.
Getting emotional at one point while talking about “hope” and “meaning” and why he keeps going, Poilievre made a rare reference to his daughter, who is autistic.
“Hope is the knowledge that your work will fulfill your purpose,” he said. “That thing that you call meaning could mean for you a home, a career, a family, a business, seeing your autistic daughter speak for the first time.”
The Tory leader said that despite missing family time and being away frequently, “We want our kids to have the same promise that we had.”
He added, “Most of all, when you start something, you never give up.”
Affordability and Prosperity
Poilievre repeated his campaign messaging that Canada’s “social contract” of hard work resulting in prosperity has not been kept, and that the Liberal government has made life unaffordable for Canadians. He said crime has increased, and “cancel culture and identity politics” have divided people.
The Conservative leader said Canada should be a country where everyone is equal regardless of race, and that skilled immigrants can pursue their professions by having their credentials recognized, but said the number of people the country lets in should be capped by the capacity available, including on issues of health care and housing.
He said Canadians have “all the wisdom and virtue to run their own lives,” and that the federal government should only focus on things that individual citizens are unable to do themselves.
“If I were starting a new political party from scratch … it would be called the ‘Mind Your Own Damn Business Party,” Poilievre joked.
Conservative Policies
Poilievre said a Conservative government would remove what he characterized as anti-development laws such as the Impact Assessment Act and rapidly approve a pipeline to the Pacific, which he said would be the “single biggest increase to overseas exports in Canadian history.”
“Liberals now say that they want this strategic partnership with China for a ‘new world order.’ One pipeline to the Pacific would increase our exports more than all the products that we currently sell to China in a year,” Poilievre said.
Prime Minister Mark Carney recently completed a trip to China, which resulted in a deal under which Ottawa will increase the tariff-rate quota for up to 49,000 Chinese electric vehicles, while Beijing is expected to lower tariffs on several Canadian food products, including canola, pork, and peas. While in China, Carney said his government wants to pursue a strategic partnership with China and that this “sets us up well for the new world order.”
Poilievre said Canada needs to ensure self-sufficiency so it could deal with “unfair and unresolved U.S. tariffs,” as this has shown that Canada “cannot rely on others to secure our borders or buy our goods.” He added that his party has made a “good faith offer” to the Liberal government to help remove the U.S. tariffs and establish new markets abroad.
Poilievre cited his party’s proposed Canada Sovereignty Act, which, if adopted, would repeal several laws, including the oil tanker ban off B.C.’s northwest coast, the industrial carbon tax, and the federal electric vehicle sales mandate in an effort to make the country more competitive. He recently introduced a motion in the House of Commons calling on parties to support the act, but it failed.
Poilievre said a Conservative government would ”reassert Arctic sovereignty” by building new Arctic bases and acquiring four new icebreakers. He also promised to add new submarines, helicopters, and “an arsenal of drones” to Canada’s military capability.
He said a Conservative government would pass a “three strikes” law that would ensure anyone convicted of three serious offences can’t receive bail, probation, parole, or house arrest.
He also cited his previously proposed Castle Law that if adopted would allow homeowners to “take whatever action necessary to protect your family” against intruders.
The Tory leader also pledged to stop the governments’ firearms “buyback” program and put the money saved from scrapping the policy into border security.
During his speech, Poilievre addressed emerging separatist movements in Alberta and Quebec. He said separatist sentiment has increased under the Liberal government and that those campaigning for separation should be heard so the government can address their concerns, while stressing the importance of unity.
Poilievre said his government would respect Quebec’s jurisdiction and Alberta’s energy sector.
“You will again have a country that respects your economy, is proud of your industries, unites us around our common identity and history—a country that will afford you the hopeful future that you have earned,” he said.
Liberal Reaction
Poilievre said his party “won the debate in the last election” when it came to issues like the carbon tax, inflation, housing, crime, and natural resources, “and soon we will be proven right once again on the wasteful and insane Liberal gun grab.”
“First they said, ‘Conservatives have no policies. They’re just slogans.’ Then they said, ‘Conservative policies are very scary.’ And then they said, ‘we agree with all the Conservative policies,” Poilievre said.
Reacting to Poilievre’s speech, Liberal MP Anthony Housefather said on social media, “Weird for the Conservative leader to say in his speech that they won the election debate on all issues when they actually lost the election.”
Fellow Liberal MP Taleeb Noormohamed, who attended the Conservative convention, said, “Pierre Poilievre’s speech tonight may be the best reminder of why Canadians see Mark Carney as the leader that best reflects who we are.”
Endorsements
Prior to Poilievre’s speech, Alberta Premier Danielle Smith said in a pre-recorded message shown to the audience that the Conservatives under Poilievre have embodied “principled leadership” and Poilievre has her “unwavering support to continue to lead the Conservative Party.”
Former Interim Conservative Leader Candice Bergen said that Poilievre has “one of the sharpest political minds in the country” and is surrounding himself with others who “will bring out the best in him.”
“Without hesitation, I support Pierre Poilievre. He is the right person to lead our party and to lead our country,” Bergen said.
The previous evening, multiple Conservative MPs took to the stage to share their support for Polievre as leader. Deputy Leader Melissa Lantsman urged delegates to vote in favour of Poilievre.
“To everyone trying to divide us, our movement is united. We will never be divided or distracted by a government trying to hide a decade of failure,” she said.
Conservative MP Arpan Khanna told the audience that the party had made gains during the last election because of Polievre’s leadership, while Conservative MP Carol Anstey said the party’s optimistic and hopeful messaging under Poilievre’s leadership “resonated with Canadians who have been taken for granted by the Liberal government for far too long.”
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