The member for Carleton, who is considered the frontrunner, made the surprise pledge on Wednesday evening during a debate attended by all the candidates for the leadership of the Conservative Party of Canada (CCP).
Asked to say how he would manage to curb inflation if he were elected prime minister, Mr. Poilievre personally attacked the governor of the Bank of Canada, an institution he has often criticized since the start of the pandemic. of COVID-19.
By agreeing toprint money
Mr. Macklem has allowed itself to become the ATM of this government
he lamented. I would therefore replace him with a new governor, who would restore a policy of low inflation [et] protect the purchasing power of our dollar.
The proposal was poorly received by Jean Charest, considered Mr. Poilievre’s main opponent, who called it airresponsible
later in the debate.
If you were an investor and you heard this kind of statement, you would be called upon to think that you are in a third world country! We cannot afford to have a leader who undermines trust in institutions
did he declare.
Poilievre goes it alone on cryptocurrencies
The member for Carleton was also unanimously against him on the issue of cryptocurrencies on Thursday evening, his opponents accusing him of encouraging Canadians to invest in highly volatile currencies.
Patrick Brown even accused him of promoting internet magic money
.
Although he is a strong supporter of cryptocurrencies, the principal concerned replied that he had never encouraged anyone to invest in them. He stressed, however, that in his view these currencies should not be banned.
People can choose to invest where they want, Poilievre argued. I am only saying that they should be free to decide whether or not they want to use bitcoins. I don’t want to be like Communist China.
Taking the audience to task, Jean Charest turned the iron on the wound, pointing out that cryptocurrencies were in freefall these days. Those who followed his advice on YouTube would have lost 20% of their earnings, he insisted. This is madness, this is insane!
A first six-party debate
Lasting two hours, the debate on Wednesday evening took place at the Convention Center in Edmonton, Alberta, where the militant base of the CCP. The contest was moderated by Tom Clark, a former political journalist. About 1000 people were present.
This was the first official leadership debate. The six candidates certified by the party – Pierre Poilievre, Jean Charest, Leslyn Lewis, Patrick Brown, Scott Aitchison and Roman Baber – were required to participate, according to the rules laid down by the Organizing Committee for the election of the leader.
It was therefore a first for Patrick Brown, who was conspicuous by his absence during a first unofficial debate organized last Wednesday, the mayor of Brampton preferring to continue his recruitment campaign away from the cameras.
Mr. Brown took advantage of his presence on Thursday to stand out on certain subjects, such as the war in Ukraine and immigration. In particular, he was the only one to propose imposing a no-fly zone over Ukraine and to plead for Canada to welcome more than the 400,000 immigrants received last year, a record.
Supply management, which had been decisive in the leadership race of the CCP in 2017, was also touched on on Thursday evening, with Scott Aitchison and Roman Baber being the only ones who want to end this system which they believe contributes to inflation.
Subjects that divide
The Conservative Party has faced heated debates since the ejection of Erin O’Toole in February, in particular about the health measures to adopt to fight the pandemic of COVID-19.
More recently, the leak hinting that the U.S. Supreme Court may overturn Roe v. Wade also revived the issue of abortion, a practice opposed by Leslyn Lewis and dozens of caucus MPs.
Pierre Poilievre, however, remained vague on the subject on Thursday evening, limiting himself to saying that he would not introduce or support legislation restricting abortion
without qualifying for pro-choice
.
Hours before the debate, Prime Minister Justin Trudeau’s government announced more than $3.5 million in funding for projects to improve access to abortion. (New window)while denying that he deliberately wants to embarrass the Conservatives on this issue (New window).
He also announced his intention to tighten the conditions for acquiring weapons on legal sale. (New window) – another hot topic in the race for the Conservative leadership, Jean Charest being singled out by his opponents for having maintained in Quebec the firearms registry abolished by the Harper government.
In French in two weeks
The six candidates to succeed Erin O’Toole will meet for a second official debate on May 25. The event, which will take place in Laval, will take place in French – the perfect opportunity to see the fluency of the aspiring chefs in the language of Miron. Other debates could also be organized afterwards.
the CCP has been led since February by Candice Bergen, who acts as acting chef. Like other party officers, he is prohibited from speaking out in favor of any particular candidate.
No less than 53 of the 119 Conservatives elected to the Commons have promised to vote for Pierre Poilievre; 13 for Jean Charest; 7 for Leslyn Lewis; 4 for Patrick Brown; and 1 for Scott Aitchison.
The MP for Carleton also leads in fundraising, according to the latest data from Elections Canada.
Candidates have until June 3 to sell membership cards. The identity of the winner will be known on September 10 after a preferential vote, which will be expressed by post this summer.
Reference-ici.radio-canada.ca