Poilievre delivers some of his greatest hits
Poilievre has delivered a speech designed to reach two target audiences: the party base — the delegates — who are voting tonight on whether to stick with him as leader, but also the caucus of MPs he leads and needs to keep in the Conservative fold. This wasn’t a speech designed to sway swing voters.
There was little new material in this speech. Indeed, Poilievre delivered some of his greatest hits: blasting the Liberals, invoking former U.S. President Ronald Reagan’s anti-government rhetoric, warning against the dangers of deficit spending and pleading with Ottawa to greenlight new natural resources development.
Then there’s a promise to reverse the Liberal “gun grab” and turn away from political correctness.
And while Poilievre faced criticism from some people within his own party for essentially ignoring U.S. President Donald Trump and his threats in the last federal election, the leader made no mention of him by name tonight.
He did call Trump’s tariffs “unfair and unresolved,” and he said Canada must be “united and strong” and “bow before no nation” — but it’s clear Poilievre is reluctant to make that fight a central plank of his leadership.
Instead, he wants to lean into the issues he champions that resonate with voters anxious about other things, namely the cost of living and crime.
There will be no ideological pivot, either. Poilievre says he will stick with his conservative principles, regardless of what the pundit class tells him to do.