Conservative party leadership front-runners Pierre Poilievre and Jean Charest traded jabs at the first Conservative leadership debate, held at the Strong and Free Networking Conference on Thursday night..Poilievre launched several blistering attacks on Charest over the course of the one-and-a-half-hour debate, including for not supporting the Freedom Convoy.."I don't share his Liberal viewpoint," the Conservative MP and shadow finance minister said to Charest.."The truckers have more integrity in their pinky finger than you had in your entire scandal-plagued cabinet." .Poilievre said Charest "learned about the trucker convoy on the CBC," and like other Liberals, he misrepresented their aims.."He believes I should be censored, cancelled from this leadership," Poilievre said in reference to Charest's past remarks that support for the convoy should have disqualified Poilievre from running for the leadership role..Charest said while the "mess that we witnessed" was the fault of the Liberal government, Poilievre still supported an "illegal" blockade..Charest, while receiving boos from several audience members, said, "You cannot make laws and break laws.".Poilievre also criticized Charest for his history of lobbying for the Chinese telecommunications company Huawei, which western intelligence agencies have said is an espionage threat.."If we're going to unite this party, we have to come clean," said Poilievre. ."Mr. Charest needs to come clean about how much money he got from Huawei. Just the number please.".Charest tried to dodge the question by defending his lobbying efforts and his efforts to secure the release of hostages Michael Spavor and Michael Kovrig from China, but Poilievre repeatedly interrupted him and asked for the dollar amount. He never disclosed how much money he received from Huawei.."Is this the kind of country you want? Where people aren't allowed to talk?" Charest asked. .In an attempt to deflect accusations he is a closet-Liberal, Charest highlighted his record on lowering taxes and supporting oil and gas projects. Charest also touted his history fighting off Quebec separatists during the 1995 referendum.."I fought and won against the separatists. It's not this guy who's going to intimidate me," Charest said of Poilievre..Poilievre framed himself as the candidate best suited to taking on "big bossy government" and "gatekeepers" by cutting taxes and defunding the CBC.."I'm running for prime minister to give you back control of your life by making Canada the freest country on earth," he said..When Poilievre said he had stood against anti-vaccine mandates from the beginning, MP Leslyn Lewis interrupted in an attempt to set the record straight.."You did not speak up until it was convenient," she said, also accusing Poilievre of never visiting the trucker protests and instead taking a photograph in his neighbourhood. .When asked about the issue of abortion, social Conservative Lewis, also attacked Poilievre for not making his stance clear.."He doesn't want to declare where he stands. Is he pro-choice or pro-life?" asked Lewis. ."As a leader, we'll have to declare that. The media will hound him. He's going to deal with social conservative issues, which he has been running from this entire campaign.".Lewis also responded to Aitchison's accusation that candidates were spreading "conspiracy theories" by remarking that many came true during the pandemic. She later said that Canada's response to the next pandemic should not be decided by the World Health Organization's (WHO) future Pandemic Treaty..Conservative MP Scott Aitchison, the former mayor of Huntsville, Ontario, focused primarily on ways to heal the nations divisions. ."Politics are increasingly divided and we've stopped respecting those we disagree with," he said, adding the candidates were engaging in petty name calling..Aitchison said the party must stop spreading "conspiracy theories," apparently in reference to concerns Lewis has raised about the WHO.."We don't want to scare voters away.".Aitchison was the only candidate not in favour of defunding the CBC, saying "I don't think burning it down is the answer.".Ontario Independent MPP Roman Baber, who was let go from Premier Doug Ford's cabinet for questioning lockdowns, continued doing so during the debate. He said COVID lockdowns led to economic turmoil, delayed surgeries and mental health issues for Canadians.."We knew who we had to protect as early as May 2020, but instead we succumbed to the left-wing cancel-culture mob, and we continued not owning up to what we knew. We should never excuse that," he said..Baber, who repeatedly mentioned he grew up in the Soviet Union, said Canadians are witnessing the "continuous erosion of our democracy."."We should be mindful of this conversation instead of mocking them like the Prime Minister does," said Baber. .Brampton Mayor Patrick Brown was not present at the debate, choosing instead to campaign.
