THUNDER BAY – Conservative Leader Pierre Poilievre says the turmoil surrounding Prime Minister Justin Trudeau’s grasp on power amounts to little more than a clown show.
Poilievre, who has been attempting to force the minority Liberals from power ever since he was first elected leader of the party two years ago, on Wednesday said it’s an embarrassing time for Canadian politics, and reiterated his call for the embattled Trudeau to step down.
Several Liberal party MPs have called for Trudeau to give up the reins of power, while former finance minister Chrystia Freeland resigned, writing a scathing letter to the prime minister criticizing his handling of the country’s finances.
Housing Minister Sean Fraser, widely seen as a potential successor to Trudeau, also announced he doesn’t plan to run again in his Central Nova riding.
“It’s a chaotic and costly clown show, for which Canadians are paying the price,” Poilievre said in an exclusive interview with Dougall Media reporters.
“Justin Trudeau has lost control of immigration, lost control of the borders, lost control of spending, debt, inflation, housing prices, crime. He’s lost control of everything and now he’s lost control of his own government, with his top minister and closest friend leaving him and saying his deficits are ruining our economy.”
The Conservative leader then turned to his best-known slogan, saying the country needs an “axe-the-tax election” as soon as possible.
Trudeau is said to be mulling his options, though since Freeland’s departure he’s had the fall economic statement delivered and on Wednesday announced a $1.3-billion plan to beef up the border, an issue that brought the prime minister directly into the crosshairs of incoming U.S. president Donald Trump.
Trump, shortly after being re-elected last month, threatened Canadian exporters with 25 per cent tariffs on goods entering the United States, which led Ontario Premier Doug Ford to threaten to turn off electricity to several northern States that rely on Canadian energy.
Trump in recent days, including a 3:30 a.m. tweet on Wednesday, has also resorted to calling Trudeau governor and has indicated many Canadians might prefer to become America’s 51st state.
“It’s a great idea,” Trump wrote, saying Canadians would save massively on taxes and military protection.
Poilievre said it’s not surprising the trolling U.S. president-to-be would come after Trudeau called Kamala Harris’ election defeat an attack on women’s progress.
“I think the world is laughing at the Trudeau government,” he said, calling the situation this week on Parliament Hill an unprecedented political meltdown, on the same day Canadians learned the federal deficit was $20 billion higher than it was believed to be prior to the fall economic statement being announced.
“It’s no surprise. President Trump can spot weakness a mile away and he’s taking advantage of that weakness. He’ll just bulldoze right over Trudeau and the NDP/Liberals. That’s why we need a strong prime minister who has the brains and backbone to stand up for this country on this side of the border,” Poilievre said.
NDP Leader Jagmeet Singh last week called Trump a bully, adding bullies prey on weakness.
“When Trump says jump, the prime minister says, ‘How high?” Singh said in the House of Commons.
“When Trump trash talks Canada, the leader of the Conservatives repeats that garbage. And when Trump trolls Canada, hundreds and thousands of Canadians worry that they may lose their job.”
Trudeau responded by saying the job of a Canadian prime minister is to stand up for Canadians, their jobs and the economy.
“That’s exactly what we are doing, with a level of serious and a level of focus, and, quite frankly, a Team Canada approach that brings together the premiers, it brings together different actors from unions, from businesses from (experts) across the country,” Trudeau responded.
“That is why we will continue to take this seriously and not freak out like the NDP or repeat the attacks like the Conservatives. We will stand up for Canadians, like we have before, as we will again.”
