Conservative leader Pierre Poilievre on Sunday morning urged Canadians to turn the “brokenness” of the last 10 years into action for a better way of life by voting for the Tories.
“Canadians cannot allow themselves to give a fourth term to the Liberals,” said Poilievre.
“We will put Canada first for a change.”
Poilievre launched his campaign while Prime Minister Mark Carney met with Gov. Gen. Mary Simon inside Rideau Hall to dissolve Parliament and call a spring election.
Carney is expected to announce the election call mere minutes after Poilievre's press conference.
“Today, the Liberals are asking for a fourth term in power, after swapping Justin Trudeau for his economic adviser and hand-picked successor, Mark Carney, but after the lost Liberal decade, the question is whether Canadians can afford a fourth Liberal term,” said Poilievre.
“The out-of-touch Liberals inflated housing costs, drove up the cost of food, pushed 2 million people to food banks, unleashed crime on our streets, ruined our immigration system, blocked our resources and a half a trillion dollars to the United States and made our economy more reliant on the Americans than ever before.”
The Conservatives promise to “honour hard work, build homes, cut taxes, lock up criminals, secure our borders, unleash resources to bring home our jobs and stand up to Donald Trump from a position of strength.”
Poilievre also reiterated his promises to scrap the industrial carbon tax, which Carney wants to impose in place of the consumer carbon tax, and sell Canadian energy overseas and limit immigration.
When a reporter asked if he “respects Donald Trump,” Poilievre replied, “I respect the Office of the President of the United States, and that we have to show respect to other world leaders.”
"The bottom line is the Americans buy 75% of our goods. So whoever is the prime minister is going to have to, at some point, deal with President Trump. You can be respectful and firm, and I believe we have to be both,” said Poilievre, adding he will “insist the president recognize the independence and sovereignty of Canada.”
“I will insist that he stop tariffing our nation. And at the same time, I will strengthen our country so that we can be capable of standing on our own two feet, and standing up to the Americans, where and when necessary.”
“I share your anger and I share the worry for our future, but I also draw great resolve in knowing that we can transform the anxiety and anger into action.”
A reporter asked Poilievre about remarks made by Alberta Premier Daniel Smith that implied his direction “would be more in sync with the US administration's direction,” and if he thinks her remarks were “appropriate.”
“The president has said that he thinks it will be easier to deal with a Liberal, and with good reason — the Liberals have weakened our country,” replied Poilievre.
“They blocked resource projects, raised taxes, driving our jobs south into the hands of the Americans.”
“A half a trillion dollars of investment has fled our country. They blocked a pipeline that would have allowed us to go around the American market. They have killed LNG liquefaction plants, forcing us to sell all of our natural gas to the Americans at huge price discounts. They weakened our military and our borders.”
“All of that plays into the hands of President Trump. He's been very blunt that he wants a weak Canada that he can target, and Liberals, after a lost Liberal decade, have made our economy and our country weaker and more divided — just like Trump wanted electing Liberals to a fourth term will weaken our country still.”
The Tory leader was also asked about foreign interference and his decision to not obtain a security clearance to read the NSICOP report last year.
“When should Canadians expect you to get that security clear?” asked the reporter.
“Well, I've already had clearance. I was administered in cabinet already. Government has the ability to give me any information they think necessary,” replied Poilievre.
“But what I'm not going to do is go into a process, a politically directed process by the Liberals that they use to decide what I can see and say and comment on.”
“And what we know is that the Liberals have made Canada a playground to foreign interference. They're the ones that have benefited from foreign interference.”
Poilievre also called on the government to “have the foreign agent registry set up for this election so that Canadians know if any foreign or hostile regimes are intervening in our democracy so that we can expose that and protect ourselves.”
