Pierre Poilievre has been elected as the new leader of the Conservative Party of Canada with 68.2 percent of the points on the first ballot.
Former Quebec premier Jean Charest took 16.1 percent of the points, followed by Conservative MP Leslyn Lewis with 9.7 percent, former Ontario Independent MPP Roman Baber with 5 percent, and Conservative MP Scott Aitchison with 1.1 percent.
Poilievre opened his victory speech by expressing sorrow for the Queen’s passing, then immediately shifted his focus to winning the next federal election.
“Tonight begins the journey to replace an old government that costs you more and delivers you less, with a new government that puts you first, your paycheque, your retirement, your home, your country,” he said. “By tackling Liberal inflation, we'll put you back in control of your life and your money.”
Poilievre thanked his family and supporters, as well as the other candidates running in the contest while highlighting their accomplishments. His comments praising Charest, with whom he often exchanged barbs during the campaign, were comparatively more than his comments on the other candidates, including thanking him for his service as former premier of Quebec.
To the supporters of the other candidates, Poilievre said “I open my arms to you” to unite as one party “serving one country,” before transitioning his speech again to cost-of-living issues, one of the main themes of his campaign.
“Today people feel like they’ve lost control of their pocketbooks, of their lives. The government is driving up the cost of living,” he said.
Repeating the phrase “remove the gatekeepers” which became his catchphrase throughout the campaign, Poilievre said that’s what’s needed to “build more homes, grow more food, and produce more energy right here in Canada.”
He also criticized the Liberal government for their policies impeding energy projects, while saying the ArriveCAN app and remaining vaccine mandates need to be removed.
“Only Liberals benefit from a divided Conservative Party,” he said.
Prime Minister Justin Trudeau also congratulated Poilievre on his win.
“As parliamentarians, we must work together to deliver results for people across the country. Canadians expect—and deserve—nothing less,” he said.
While congratulating Poilievre, NDP Leader Jagmeet Singh said in a social media post that he knows that “we will disagree on a lot and rarely find common ground—but it’s a time to show Canadians that leaders tell the truth and refuse the destructive politics of division.”
Poilievre was first elected as an MP in 2004, and served as minister of state for democratic reform and minister of jobs and industry in the Harper government.
In an email to supporters ahead of the results on Sept. 10, Poilievre anticipated that his win would mean he would become the target of Liberals’ negative attack ads.
“I’m going to get punched,” he said. “Trudeau’s Liberals are going to unleash a wave of advertising attacking me, trying to scare Canadians before I can punch back.”
He said his team will be focusing on launching ads on different platforms to counter the negative ads.
In a statement issued shortly after the winner was announced, Liberal Minister of Intergovernmental Affairs Dominic LeBlanc and Liberal MP Rachel Bendayan congratulated Poilievre on his win, and expressed hope that the Conservatives will join the Liberals on their priorities for the country, while criticizing him and his party.
“While Mr. Poilievre and the Conservative Party continue to promote American-style politics and try to stand in the way of our progress for Canadians, we’ll remain focused on moving Canada forward,” they said.
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