Poilievre visits Sault, says he would fix housing problem, continue to fight vaccine mandates (6 photos)

Conservative Party of Canada leadership candidate Pierre Poilievre brought a message of freedom, economic progress and housing availability to a crowd of approximately 700 people at Quattro Friday evening.

The 42-year-old MP who represents the Ottawa-area riding of Carleton and is a former Stephen Harper cabinet minister has raised eyebrows among the political establishment for his support of the trucker convoy that protested the federal government’s vaccination mandate policy for cross border truckers, but that message has nevertheless resonated with many.

“Freedom is what brought people here but lately it hasn’t felt so free in this country has it? It’s felt an awful lot like a big bossy government is increasingly running our lives,” Poilievre said, addressing Friday’s audience.

“For two long years the truckers delivered our basic necessities across the border without vaccines and were called heroes and all of a sudden the Prime Minister declared them villains and said they would be forced to take a vaccine even though they were the people who were the least likely to spread the virus because they’re all alone in a truck all day. They brought this in right as the mandates were being lifted in other parts of the world. They dared to speak up and exercise their right for peaceful protest and they were called vicious names by Justin Trudeau…I was proud to stand with the peaceful and law abiding truckers.”

“I will continue to fight alongside my Conservative colleagues to put a permanent end to the vaccine mandates and the vaccine passports,” Poilievre said.

Poilievre called large municipal governments ‘gatekeepers’ that keep developers from building more houses.

“Here’s the deal. Big city mayors are going to have get their regulatory gatekeepers out of the way to let builders build and increase housing construction by 15 per cent every year or I’m going to cutting back on their infrastructure transfers.”

Poilievre said he would, as Prime Minister, reward local governments once new homes are built.

As part of a plan to cut government spending, Poilievre said “we are going to defund the CBC.”

That would be $1 billion saved for other uses, he said.

Poilievre said he would put an end to dependence on other countries for oil within five years of forming a government, grow the Canadian natural gas and mining industries and get rid of the federal carbon tax.

He also slammed the Trudeau government’s Bill C-11 that he said would censor free speech on the internet.

“I can’t do this without all of you,” Poilievre said in an appeal for support to Friday’s audience.

The Conservatives are currently calling for voters to step forward and buy party memberships and then support them in the next federal vote.

Poilievre, currently holding rallies across the country, was introduced at Quattro by his wife Anaida and former Sault Conservative candidate Sonny Spina.

After the rally, Poilievre met with supporters who lined up to have their photos taken with them.

“I’m here to see Pierre because I’m absolutely scared senseless at what’s happening to this country right now with Justin Trudeau and the Liberal government. Pierre is always saying he’s going to make Canada the freest country in the world. That sounds good to a lot of people here. He’s going to try and help with inflation. House prices are out of control, inflation's out of control, our freedoms are under attack, it doesn’t end. I hope he can fix it. He’s better than what we’ve got,” said a supporter named George, speaking to SooToday at the Poilievre rally.

“I find the current government doesn’t pay much regard to the Charter of Rights and Freedoms. I think the Liberal Party is on the left of the political spectrum and I’m not a socialist. It seems to me Poilievre is willing to support the average Canadian. I don’t get a sense of elitism or superiority from him. I think it’s time for a new face,” said rally attendee Matthew Miller.

“I believe in common sense and everything I’ve heard from him makes sense to me. He believes in oil independence for Canada. We shouldn’t be buying oil from anywhere when we’re one of the biggest oil producers in the world. He believes in freedom of speech and all the common sense values I think a lot of Canadians stand for. I think the current government is on a power trip and they don’t realize what average Canadians are going through these days,” said Gail Berthelet.   

There are eight candidates in the Conservative leadership race to succeed former leader Erin O’Toole, including Poilievre, veteran politician Jean Charest - who has served as both a Progressive Conservative and a Liberal - and former Ontario Progressive Conservative leader Patrick Brown. 

Conservatives pick their new leader Sept. 10.