The highlight of the first in-person Conservative party convention in five years was the speech given by Pierre Poilievre who won the leadership a year ago..It was preceded by a speech from Peter MacKay that was designed to link today’s Conservative Party to its past incarnations, even though for many Conservatives MacKay embodied a very old style, — in effect, a now-repudiated version of what Canadian conservatism means today. Even so, MacKay’s presence must have reassured the remaining Red Tories in the party..The presence of gate-crasher Steven Guilbeault who showed up to call Poilievre names confirmed his status as a lightweight but tedious fanatic rather than a responsible Minister of the Crown..When asked about his recent trip to China, a reporter referenced the most significant element in Sino-Canadian relations, namely China’s interference on behalf of Guilbeault’s party in recent federal elections. He then asked if Guilbeault brought the matter up while he was in Beijing. The clownish environmentalist responded: “next question.”.Perhaps Guilbeault was in Beijing to receive further instructions on how to deconstruct the economy of the prairie west..Despite his boorishness and his dismissal from his chosen role as spoiler, it became clear very quickly what the subtle and effective message of the evening was. It was likely unscripted, but it was there..Poilievre was introduced by his wife Anaida, or Ana as she prefers to be known. As with her speech last year when Pierre won the leadership, she recalled her earlier life growing up as an immigrant in east Montreal. This observation re-introduced a clear contrast of her and Pierre with Sophie and Justin, which had nothing to do with the apparent estrangement of the latter. There was most obviously the difference in social class. Neither Pierre nor Ana would ever be described as “old stock” or anything similar in French or English..She then showed she had a good sense of humour and expressed a non-smarmy affection for her husband and for their children. Here was a bit of authenticity for a change..Most interestingly in terms of policy she stated her support for the truckers and the freedom convoy. This explicit contrast with the Trudeaus suggested that the previous implicit contrasts were not accidental..Pierre spoke for more than an hour and continued Ana’s story, starting with an anecdote about their early dating. He then drew an (again implicit) contrast. What were the chances of an adopted son of a pair of prairie schoolteachers, married to a Venezuelan immigrant, ever ending up on that stage? Yet there they were..This led to a more serious and explicit criticism of Justin and of everything he stands for. The promise to all Canadians of social mobility for immigrants and of prosperity for those who begin life without economic advantages, in place for generations, had been broken by Justin. He made life worse for everyone –except for himself and for his highly questionable friends..Poilievre reminded his audience and all Canadians things were better before Trudeau and thanked Stephen Harper for that achievement..He ridiculed trust-funded Justin for whining it was “a really tough time to be a politician.” Compared to whom? Not to the carpenter Poilievre met at a Tim Horton’s in Sault Ste. Marie who lived in a parking lot. They are the ones who have it tough. They are also the ones whom Justin ignores..Jokes about the ridiculous ArriveCan app, turning the former CBC headquarters into a low-rent apartment block, or the Davos goofiness aside, the main contrast was between Poilievre’s commonsensical vision, where people who work hard can realize their dreams, and the “reckless coalition” of left-wing ideologues who divide everyone into good and bad, acceptable and unacceptable, depending on whether they were committed to the lefties’ half-baked woke agenda..The perverse policies of the Trudeau Liberals provided a stark contrast to Poilievre’s proposals for dealing with Big Pharma, catch-and-release of criminals, persecution of law-abiding hunters and other gun-owners, rebuilding the military, ending censorship, shutting down “police stations” run by the Chinese Communist Party and abolishing the administrative tyranny of so-called experts devoid of a shred of commonsense..Throughout the entire speech, Poilievre looked confident. With the kind of support he has gained in recent public opinion polls, his message of hope for Canada may not disappoint. He might even be able to turn the country into a federation. Wouldn’t that be an achievement!
