Pierre Poilievre swept to victory in the Conservative Party of Canada leadership race on September 10th, the result of a groundswell movement that has relegated the old “progressive” Conservative red Tories to historical memory. Jean Charest, the next closest contender, was supported by only 8 of 338 ridings, and got just 16 per cent of the vote. Just as the Tea Party and Trump have re-shaped the Republican Party, so too has the Reform Party taken over Canada’s Conservatives. The national voice of the old conservative bedrock – the Globe and Mail – has been warning for months about this outcome.
In his victory speech, the new leader laid out a vision for Canada that could easily have been written by Republican think tanks south of the border. Every special interest group was acknowledged – from monarchists to social conservatives and Quebec cultural nationalists, from gun owners to agribusiness and mining conglomerates. These forces will be shaping the agenda of the new Conservative Party.
Drawing on the fake populist message that everyone’s pain is caused by government spending, there is one overall theme – shrink public services and reduce government. In this frame, every grievance that any Canadian has can be blamed on the federal government, starting with inflation.
But here’s the thing. Costs have soared in every country in the world in the past year. It doesn’t matter the political tinge of the party in power – inflation is rampant across the globe. In the UK, run by Conservatives, it is more than 10 per cent. But somehow Pierre claims that Canada is unique, because “Justinflation” is all caused by public spending.
Could the rise in prices have anything to do with exploding corporate profits? You will never find that word anywhere in the narratives of Mr. Poilievre (or Mr. Trudeau). In the second quarter of 2022, profits reached unprecedented levels, and not just for the big oil multinationals and housing speculators. More than 18 per cent of the Canadian gross domestic product was diverted to corporate profits – the highest level in recorded history. And that translates into higher prices for food, housing, gas, or anything else we buy.
But in Pierre’s coronation speech, it was all about government spending. It’s as if COVID never happened. As if the small businesses that are a key part of the Conservative base never asked for, or received, tens of billions of federal dollars to keep afloat during the pandemic. Month after month, business was demanding federal support – in hard cash – for their bottom line. Millions of Canadian workers accessed benefits to make ends meet through the crisis. Poilievre refuses to acknowledge the public investment in an unprecedented social safety net that served every community. Because, of course, the real agenda is about privatization and market supremacy.
Pierre did draw on the Doug Ford playbook in some areas. He is more open to immigration and celebrates diversity. He ties the production of electric vehicles with unlimited expansion of mining. There is the new definition of climate action that we are all asked to embrace – letting business do whatever it cares to do. Indigenous voices will be heard – but only if they are supporting entrepreneurs, extractive industries and pipelines.
Poilievre ended the speech with his own personal story – an adopted child of a teen mom whose father is openly gay – in a way that attempted to mimic Obama’s famous speech to the Democratic convention that marked the rise to presidency. But what Pierre didn’t talk about was that he has been a professional politician his entire adult life, including a stint in Stephen Harper’s cabinet, with a record of attacking workers’ rights at every turn. There was no mention of Bitcoin or the convoy, both of which he has enthusiastically supported – just an appeal to more “freedom” everywhere.
For people who care about the future of Canada, this is not about Pierre as a person. This is fundamentally about the danger of right-wing populism appealing to many of our neighbours who are feeling a lot of pain, and don’t see any clear way to a brighter future. We can’t just leave this up to political parties to take on this challenge. Progressive organizations across the country need to step up and help identify the real answers to people’s concerns today. It’s about exposing the real culprits behind the crisis of affordability, and reminding us all that the “common good” is the thing that actually binds us together as Canadians.
That’s true no matter what our location, what we do for a living, or where our families have come from. Our fight is for people, planet, and democracy. Let’s make sure there is no coronation of Pierre as Prime Minister in the months and years ahead.
John Cartwright was elected Chairperson of the Council of Canadians at the Annual Members Meeting held in June 2019. He is the Past President of the Toronto & York Region Labour Council, representing 200,000 union members who work in every sector of the economy. A carpenter by trade, he led the Central Ontario Building Trades Council for a decade before being elected to his current position.
