Over four months ago, I told you that Pierre Poilievre, was the front-runner in the race to become the third leader of the so-called Conservative Party of Canada since the defeat of Steve Harpoon in 2015.
Last night, in the greatest non-event shown on Canadian TV since the Toronto Maple Leafs bowed out of the first round of last spring's Stanley Cup playoffs, M Poilievre won the leadership on the first ballot, garnering 68% of the points available. Jean Charest, the ex-Liberal still-liberal candidate, finished a distant second, with 16%.
M Poilievre urged Canucks to Ètake back control of your life!" Now that he has won the party, and has a good chance of winning the country, M Charest's supporters, the liberals, the leftists and the lickspittle media of Canuckistan are quaking in their boots that he will do what he promised.
The meme above was published during the leadership campaign and was (I supposed) meant to scare people into voting for a "less extreme" candidate. If I had been voting, I would have taken the likening of Pierre Poilievre to Dr Jordan Peterson as a ringing endorsement.
After two leaders who apparently stood for nothing, Canada's Conservatives desperately need a leader who espouses and will fight for conservative values. Alas, I told you in "The problem with Poilievre" (WWW 30/4/22), M Poilievre is not that man. He is pro-abortion, pro-immigration, and pro-queer. The real conservative candidate was Leslyn Lewis, who finished third.
So when the inevitable Rosie Tuchhus, covering the proceedings on CBC-TV, said Lucky Pierre would have to move to the centre and adopt a more moderate, conciliatory tone, in order to win the country, she was wrong. The attack dog won't change, because he doesn't need to.
M Poilievre has identified and tapped into the anger most Canadians feel about inflation, the lack of affordable housing, and the endless "mandates" (e.g. the ArriveCAN app) which take away their freedom. Thus he has created a populist groundswell similar to that which propelled President Trump into the Oval Office, all without straying from the path of political correctness on the issues which count for true conservatives.
He preaches classic conservatism -- smaller government; getting natural resources to market; less government interference in people's personal and professional lives; ending the Liberals' efforts to censor the Internet; defunding the CBC and ending media bailouts; and fiscal restraint, after a long period without it.
All those policies find favour not just with hard-right conservatives, but the average Canuck. The chattering classes spent hours trying to figure out M Poilievre's appeal to young Canadians, who turned out in 1000s at his rallies. It wasn't hard to understand. They are looking, hoping... and will be voting... for at least a partial return to the lifestyle their parents and grandparents enjoyed. Or just some help paying the bills. Or just to be left alone.
That's why Pierre Poilievre will knock the socks off Blackie McBlackface in the next election, whenever it comes. You read it here first!
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