In his first speech to the caucus of his party, newly elected Conservative Party of Canada (CPC) leader Pierre Poilievre promised to fight for the working class as Canada faces a cost of living crisis driven by inflation.
Elected last weekend, Poilievre ran on a campaign against rising prices and inflation, which he refers to as “Justinflation” after Prime Minister Justin Trudeau, but reiterated his commitment to working-class people during his first caucus speech in Ottawa on Monday.
Poilievre, who comes from what has been described as a modest middle-class background, claimed that Trudeau’s minority government was out of touch with ordinary working Canadians and urged the government, along with its far-left New Democrat (NDP) allies, not to increase taxes on working Canadians already struggling to get by, CBC reports.
“Canadians are hurting and it is our job to transform that hurt into hope. That is my mission,” the new CPC leader said and highlighted the upcoming increases to the Canadian federal carbon tax that are set to come into effect and increase the price of emissions per tonne from $50 to $170 by 2030.
Chris Tomlinson