Labor leader urges unions to expose Poilievre’s proposals towards the working class as ‘fraud’

OTTAWA – Conservative Leader Pierre Poilievre He is a “fraud” for presenting himself as a friend of the working class, the head of the country’s largest labor organization said on Thursday, urging unions to do everything they can to expose him before the next federal election.

Canadian Labor Congress president Bea Bruske made her call to arms as union leaders met in Ottawa to strategize ahead of the vote, which must take place before October 2025.

“We must do everything in our power to expose Mr. Pierre Poilievre for the fraud that it is,” Bruske said.

“We must not get our hopes up.”

Canada’s three main political parties are already fighting for blue-collar votes: both NDP Leader Jagmeet Singh and Prime Minister Justin Trudeau will address the meeting later on Thursday.

The speeches come days after the Liberals unveiled a federal budget that increases taxes on the wealthy and includes funding for NDP priorities such as pharmaceutical and dental care.

Poilievre He was not invited to speak at the meeting.

Although surveys suggest PoilievreThe affordability message is resonating with public and private sector workers, Bruske said his history of supporting back-to-work legislation and advocating for employees to be allowed to opt out of unions makes him hostile toward Workers.

“Whatever you say today, Mr. Poilievre “He has a consistent 20-year record as an anti-worker politician and I ask you: have you ever, anywhere in Canada, seen him walking on a picket line?” he said.

The New Democrats have said much the same thing about the conservative leader.

For its part, Poilievre has said he has spent the past two years touring the country, presenting himself as the leader who understands the pain and anxieties working-class Canadians feel in the current affordability crisis.

Poilievre He likes to point out that he has spoken to more local unions and factory workers than he has to multitudes of corporate companies. Under his leadership, conservatives also voted in favor of a bill that seeks to prohibit federally regulated workplaces from using replacement workers during strikes or lockouts, a significant change for conservatives.

Since he became leader, Poilievre He has also resisted calling on Trudeau for back-to-work legislation in response to labor disputes, including the strike that saw thousands of public servants protest picketing last spring.

He has promised to “reduce” the federal carbon price on fuel in NDP-controlled ridings across British Columbia, including Vancouver Island, and in northern Ontario, where the Liberals also hold seats.

When asked why PoilievreThe message appears to be resonating with workers, Bruske said union leaders are aware of the anxieties workers face.

“We understand well the frustration and fear about the future of their jobs and the fear of being able to make ends meet,” he said.

But “politicians who offer simplistic answers without actually offering a real strategy for how they are going to achieve what workers need are not politicians we can count on.”

Trudeau routinely reprimands Poilievre to garner support by promising simple solutions to complicated problems, such as a lack of housing supply.

Liberals are also frustrated because Poilievre has blamed its flagship climate policy, the consumer carbon tax, for raising costs.

They deny their claims and insist that the government’s quarterly rebate payments ensure that most Canadians receive more than they pay in the carbon price.

This report by The Canadian Press was first published April 18, 2024.