The latest on the first official Conservative leadership debate in Edmonton

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OTTAWA — Conservative leadership hopefuls squared off in the first official debate of the contest. Here are the latest developments. All Eastern Times:

23:00

Conservative leadership candidate Leslyn Lewis says she is concerned that Poilievre has declared he would fire the governor of the Bank of Canada over the rate of inflation.

Poilievre says he would fire Tiff Macklem, who the MP says has allowed himself to become an ATM for the government, which is driving up prices.

Speaking to reporters after the debate, Lewis says politicians shouldn’t meddle with the Bank of Canada or undermine faith in Canada’s financial institutions.

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Poilievre was the only candidate who did not speak to reporters after the debate.

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22:00

In their final speech of the Conservative leadership debate, the candidates promise more freedom, a stronger democracy and a united Conservative front in the next general election.

Scott Aitchison says the party needs to welcome more people, but they won’t do it with angry rhetoric.

Jean Charest says more or less the same thing, taking aim at Pierre Poilievre for wanting to “tear down” the institutions.

Roman Baber says he wants to defend Canada’s democracy, while Leslyn Lewis says he will protect the Canadian Charter of Rights and Freedoms.

Meanwhile, Poilievre says he wants to put Canadians back in control of their lives by lowering the cost of living.

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The candidates will debate in French on May 25 in Laval, Que.

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9:30 pm

Pierre Poilievre says that if elected prime minister, he would fire and replace Bank of Canada Governor Tiff Macklem.

Poilievre was asked during the Conservative leadership debate how long it would take him to cut interest rates.

He says it will depend on how high inflation is when he comes to power, but added that those responsible for high inflation should be held accountable.

He says that Macklem has allowed it to be used as an ATM for the government, which has driven prices higher.

If elected, he says he would install a new governor with a low-inflation mandate, which would protect the purchasing power of the Canadian dollar.

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21:10

Conservative leadership candidates take aim at Pierre Poilievre for his stance on Bitcoin in tonight’s debate.

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Jean Charest and Leslyn Lewis accused Poilievre of encouraging Canadians to invest in the digital currency.

Patrick Brown says “magic internet money” like Bitcoin fluctuates wildly and Poilievre should not encourage vulnerable investors in Canada to gamble away their savings.

Poilievre says he didn’t encourage people to invest in Bitcoin, but he doesn’t want it to be banned because investors deserve the right to choose how they spend their money.

Roman Baber says he can’t believe career politicians are offering investment advice on stage.

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21:00

Conservative leadership candidates Roman Baber and Leslyn Lewis say the greatest threat to Canada is the erosion of the nation’s democracy.

Lewis cited the invocation of the Emergencies Act in response to prolonged protests in the capital and blockades at Canada’s borders in protest of COVID-19 restrictions.

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Baber pointed to the liberal bill to regulate hate speech on the Internet, calling it a law to censor speech.

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20:40

Abortion questions have the crowd at the first official Conservative Party leadership debate in Edmonton.

Jean Charest took aim at Pierre Poilievre for refusing to reveal his position on abortion, earning him boos from Poilievre supporters in the crowd.

Poilievre says that, if elected, his government would not introduce or pass any legislation on abortion.

Charest says the same, but also revealed that she is in favor of abortion.

The moderator took 10 seconds off Poilievre for the outburst of his followers.

Poilievre could be heard off the microphone calling the sanction “nonsense.”

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8:30 pm

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Each Conservative leadership candidate kicked off the party’s first official leadership debate tonight by sharing their vision for Canada.

All candidates mentioned the divided state of the country as part of their responses.

Most also directly referenced COVID-19 vaccine mandates as one of the key reasons for that split, with the exception of former Quebec premier Jean Charest.

Charest pointed to the divisions over oil and gas between the east and west of the country.

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20:00

The first official debate on the leadership of the Conservative party is underway.

Candidates Scott Aitchison, Roman Baber, Patrick Brown, Jean Charest, Leslyn Lewis and Pierre Poilievre took the stage in single file at the Edmonton Convention Center in Alberta.

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Rick Ekstein, one of the co-chairs of the Conservative Party leadership debate, opened the event by saying that more than 1,000 people will attend.

Debate organizers say they’ve heard people want the debate to be policy-heavy.

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19:20

Veteran MP Pierre Poilievre is a popular choice for many party members awaiting the start of the first official debate on the Conservative leadership.

There are supporters carrying banners, with many saying they like his charisma and his vocal support for the pipelines.

The debate is scheduled to start at 8:00 p.m.

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19:00

Dozens of Conservatives are lining up to take their seats at the party’s first official debate on the leadership race at the Edmonton Convention Center in Alberta.

Tonight’s debate will be the first time all six candidates have shared a stage.

Five of the six candidates participated in a raucous debate in Ottawa last week in which they took sharp aim at each other.

This time, Brampton Mayor Patrick Brown will join his fellow candidates on the debate stage.

This report from The Canadian Press was first published on May 11, 2022.