Conservative Party leader Pierre Poilievre addressed more than 1,500 people at Coastal Black Winery in Black Creek Tuesday night, touching on other topics like reversing the decriminalization of hard drugs and building pipelines.
“We will build Canadian pipelines with Canadian steel. We’re going to end the NDP, Trudeau war on our resource sector, we need resource jobs,” Poilievre said.
Fiscal responsibility was on a list of things Poilievre is promising Vancouver Islanders if he becomes Prime Minster.
“You’ve been pinching your pennies long enough, it’s time for government to start pinching pennies, too,” he said.
Poilievre says his Common Sense plan will also force municipalities to build more homes by tying federal infrastructure dollars to the number of building permits they grant.
And one of the largest cheers of the night?
“And while we’re at it, I’ll continue to demand that the provinces end these ridiculous vaccine mandates,” he said to the crowd’s delight.
READ MONDAY STORY: Conservative leader Pierre Poilievre meets supporters in Black Creek
The night also got testy when a man protesting Poilievre’s policies on abortion and LGTBQ rights tried shouting down the Conservative leader.
“You don’t win a debate by trying to shout me down,” Poilievre said to the man.
“It’s not going to work and I’m not afraid of you, so you can scream and holler all you want. I’m going to continue my speech.”
The man was escorted out of the facility by rally staff.
Some people CHEK News spoke with after the rally said they’d come out to see Poilievre and judge him for themselves.
“Initially, I wasn’t too supportive of him. But you know what I am is a long-time Conservative, and I’ve come to see that he’s a great guy to lead our party,” said Winston Hunter from Courtenay.
“It’s nice to hear what we’re going to do and not just rhetoric,” added Marie Eldridge from Comox.
“From what we heard, he’s just a complete radical, but that guy, he’s a real Canadian,” said Dan from Campbell River.
In a press release, North Island-Powell River NDP MP Rachel Blaney commented on his visit to her riding, saying: “Pierre Poilievre is trying to sweep two decades’ worth of support for policies that hurt workers and everyday British Columbians under the rug. Poilievre’s track record has piled up, and it shows exactly who he’s working for – it’s not Canadians.
“Over his twenty years in politics, almost half of which was in government, Poilievre has voted against minimum wage and dental care twice despite having a six-figure government salary and dental coverage since becoming a politician in his twenties and overseen massive cuts to public services and healthcare, firing more than 25,000 workers.
“When he was in government, nearly 900 jobs at Veterans Affairs were cut, making it harder for Veterans to get support; When he was a minister, 60.2% of unemployed people didn’t have access to employment insurance, he cut sick leave and delayed pension benefits to people with terminal illnesses or severe conditions. Even today, while claiming he’s going to make housing more affordable – his biggest donors are rich investors who are profiting off the housing crisis.”
Dean Stoltz
