top of page
PopCan.png
Search

Pierre Poilievre on his combative style of politics and his plans for Canada

Writer's picture: PopCanPopCan

MacLean's: 'Q. A political opponent who respects your skill and smarts and enjoys sparring with you commented that they didn’t understand what was at the core of what you were trying to do. There’s no doubt you’re very skilled at practising politics, but if that’s the means, what is the ends? I’m wondering how you would answer that.


'A. The ends is to make Canada the freest country in the world.


'Q. How does partisan fisticuffs achieve that end? Or maybe a better question is what would that look like if you became leader? Can you still be in that pugilistic mode if you are leader of the party?


'A. I’m definitely not as partisan as someone like Justin Trudeau or Charlie Angus or Mark Gerretsen.


'Q. I think lots of people would disagree with that, but you’re entitled to see it differently.


'A. Those people wouldn’t have any evidence for their claims. I just think it is important to put it in context because I think this complaint is driven mostly by people who just don’t think Liberals should ever be criticized. There are a lot of people in Ottawa’s political establishment who want a one-party Liberal state where the Conservatives do nothing other than offer mild criticisms about procedure and progress, but never really challenge anybody’s ideas. That is horrible for democracy. Our system was deliberately designed for the opposition to prosecute the government’s failings and misbehaviour. That is a feature, not a bug. The role of House of Commons is to bring the mighty low, to remind the prime minister that he is a servant and not a master. So no, there will be no change in my approach with respect to how I hold the government to account, only that I will do it on a bigger scale.


'Q. I want to ask you about the convoy protest. I understand the point you’ve made about not holding an entire movement responsible for the repellent views of a few in its midst. But the fact is core organizers have repeatedly threatened violence or spewed racism all over the internet. How do you justify supporting that?


'A. I support the legitimate aspirations of individual truckers and other Canadians on whose rights governments have trampled for two years now.


'Q. Okay, but I want to understand more about how you slice and dice which elements of that are palatable and worth supporting and which are not.


'A. That’s a very simple question to answer. Those people who are championing their rights and freedoms through peaceful means are worth supporting. Anyone who engages in violence, racism, vandalism or obstruction deserves our full condemnation. I believe in individual responsibility. Those who do bad are individually responsible for the bad they have done. That does not change the fact that there are tens of thousands of people who have gathered on overpasses, beside highways, on sidewalks across the country to demand that governments give them their freedoms back.' ...

3 views0 comments

Recent Posts

See All

Russia cuts off gas to Latvia

MSN: 'Russian energy giant Gazprom says it has suspended gas supplies to Latvia - the latest EU country to experience such action amid...

Comments


bottom of page