Patrick Brown says social conservatives would have a place in a party led by him
Conservative Party leadership candidate Patrick Brown says social conservatives would have a place in a party led by him but that he stands firm on his views on topics such as abortion.
In an interview on CTV’s Question Period, Brown pointed to his time in provincial politics when social conservatives were elected while he was at the helm of the Progressive Conservative Party of Ontario.
“There’s a place for all conservatives in the Conservative family and you’ll note that when I was leader of the Ontario Conservative party, there was a number of prominent social conservatives who got nominated,” he said. “Certainly, you know, I value their place.”
He said all leaders need to be clear, however, on where they stand on these contentious issues. Brown says he is “pro-choice” and a government under his leadership wouldn’t revisit the debate.
Several party leadership candidates went after Pierre Poilievre during the first official debate last week for not having previously articulated his position on abortion clearly.
Poilievre said on Wednesday he believes in “freedom of choice.”
Brown has also faced criticism for flip-flopping on the issue. As a backbench MP in 2012, he voted in favour of Motion 312, which would have ostensibly ordered a review on when life legally begins.
Asked whether he’d allow a free vote on a bill restricting access to abortion within caucus, Brown said while he respects the rights of MPs to have free votes, he “expects” not to have to go there.
“Our focus will be on getting Canada back on its feet, growing our economy, creating jobs and making Canada the destination of choice in the world for where you want to invest,” he said.
Brown often touts his ability to attract voters in areas the Conservative Party desperately needs to pick up support, such as the Greater Toronto Area.
While he wouldn’t declare his membership numbers to date, he said he’s confident he’ll attract “thousands of new Canadians…from every walk of life.”
INFLATION & ATTACKS ON THE CENTRAL BANK
The Brampton mayor says both international pressures and the federal government’s financial mismanagement through the pandemic is contributing to the high rate of inflation.
“We need to get our own financial house in order,” he said, adding that every sector is facing its own set of unique challenges.
“I look at the most obvious sector when we talk about inflation being the housing sector… there's more demand than there is supply, and we have a lack of labour to build homes. We desperately need more labour. The approval process at every level of government is too slow.”
Brown says he does not share the same views as his rival Poilievre that Canadians can “opt out” of inflation through cryptocurrency, calling the stance “ludicrous.”
On Poilievre’s relentless attacks of the Bank of Canada, and specifically that he would fire Governor Tiff Macklem if elected prime minister, Brown called it “reckless.”
“I think it's reckless to have political interference in the Bank of Canada and this is something that I think has shocked many economists and those in the financial markets across the country that a conservative would suggest something like that,” he said.
HEALTH AND THE ENVIRONMENT
In light of the strains and stresses that COVID-19 has exposed within the health-care system, Brown says more care needs to be done outside of the hospital environment but still within the parameters of a public structure.
“What can we do outside the hospital? ... Look at cataract surgery, we're still doing cataract surgery in hospitals, you can do that in a publicly-funded manner outside of the hospital.”
Brown says he would rescind the Liberal government's carbon tax and focus more on big emitters globally.
“If anything, if we’re going to be talking about how we can help with environment, we should be considering a carbon tariff at the border, leveling the playing field. You've got Canadian manufacturers who, frankly are competing with goods dumped into Canada, from China and India that do not have the same environmental regulations nor labour regulations,” he said.
IN DEPTH
Budget 2024 prioritizes housing while taxing highest earners, deficit projected at $39.8B
In an effort to level the playing field for young people, in the 2024 federal budget, the government is targeting Canada's highest earners with new taxes in order to help offset billions in new spending to enhance the country's housing supply and social supports.
'One of the greatest': Former prime minister Brian Mulroney commemorated at state funeral
Prominent Canadians, political leaders, and family members remembered former prime minister and Progressive Conservative titan Brian Mulroney as an ambitious and compassionate nation-builder at his state funeral on Saturday.
'Democracy requires constant vigilance' Trudeau testifies at inquiry into foreign election interference in Canada
Prime Minister Justin Trudeau testified Wednesday before the national public inquiry into foreign interference in Canada's electoral processes, following a day of testimony from top cabinet ministers about allegations of meddling in the 2019 and 2021 federal elections. Recap all the prime minister had to say.
As Poilievre sides with Smith on trans restrictions, former Conservative candidate says he's 'playing with fire'
Siding with Alberta Premier Danielle Smith on her proposed restrictions on transgender youth, Conservative Leader Pierre Poilievre confirmed Wednesday that he is against trans and non-binary minors using puberty blockers.
Supports for passengers, farmers, artists: 7 bills from MPs and Senators to watch in 2024
When parliamentarians return to Ottawa in a few weeks to kick off the 2024 sitting, there are a few bills from MPs and senators that will be worth keeping an eye on, from a 'gutted' proposal to offer a carbon tax break to farmers, to an initiative aimed at improving Canada's DNA data bank.
Opinion
opinion Don Martin: Gusher of Liberal spending won't put out the fire in this dumpster
A Hail Mary rehash of the greatest hits from the Trudeau government’s three-week travelling pony-show, the 2024 federal budget takes aim at reversing the party’s popularity plunge in the under-40 set, writes political columnist Don Martin. But will it work before the next election?
opinion Don Martin: The doctor Trudeau dumped has a prescription for better health care
Political columnist Don Martin sat down with former federal health minister Jane Philpott, who's on a crusade to help fix Canada's broken health care system, and who declined to take any shots at the prime minister who dumped her from caucus.
opinion Don Martin: Trudeau's seeking shelter from the housing storm he helped create
While Justin Trudeau's recent housing announcements are generally drawing praise from experts, political columnist Don Martin argues there shouldn’t be any standing ovations for a prime minister who helped caused the problem in the first place.
opinion Don Martin: Poilievre has the field to himself as he races across the country to big crowds
It came to pass on Thursday evening that the confidentially predictable failure of the Official Opposition non-confidence motion went down with 204 Liberal, BQ and NDP nays to 116 Conservative yeas. But forcing Canada into a federal election campaign was never the point.
opinion Don Martin: How a beer break may have doomed the carbon tax hike
When the Liberal government chopped a planned beer excise tax hike to two per cent from 4.5 per cent and froze future increases until after the next election, says political columnist Don Martin, it almost guaranteed a similar carbon tax move in the offing.
CTVNews.ca Top Stories
MPP Sarah Jama asked to leave Ontario legislature for wearing keffiyeh
MPP Sarah Jama was asked to leave the Legislative Assembly of Ontario by House Speaker Ted Arnott on Thursday for wearing a keffiyeh, a garment that is banned at Queen’s Park.
2 teens charged in Halifax homicide: police
Two teenagers have been charged with second-degree murder in connection to an alleged homicide near the Halifax Shopping Centre earlier this week.
Legendary hockey broadcaster Bob Cole dies at 90: CBC
Bob Cole, a welcome voice for Canadian hockey fans for a half-century, has died at the age of 90. Cole died Wednesday night in St. John's, N.L., surrounded by his family, his daughter, Megan Cole, told the CBC.
Here's why Harvey Weinstein's New York rape conviction was tossed and what happens next
Here's what you need to know about why movie mogul Harvey Weinstein's rape conviction was thrown out and what happens next.
12-year-old hippo in Japan raised as a male discovered to be a female
When Gen-chan arrived at a zoo in Japan in 2017, no one questioned whether the then-five-year-old hippopotamus was a boy. Seven years later, zoo staff made a surprising discovery: Gen-chan, now 12, was female.
'Deep ignorance': Calls for Manitoba trustee to resign sparked after comments about Indigenous people and reconciliation
A rural Manitoba school trustee is facing calls to resign over comments he made about Indigenous people and residential schools earlier this week.
Humanist group threatening to sue Vancouver over council prayers
The B.C. Humanist Association has threatened legal action against the City of Vancouver for allowing prayers at council, following a similar warning issued earlier this month to a smaller community on Vancouver Island.
First in Canada procedure performed at London, Ont. hospital
A London man has become the first person in Canada to receive a robotic assisted surgery on his spine. Dave Myeh suffered from debilitating, chronic back pain that led to sciatica in his right now and extreme pain in his lower back.
Honda to get up to $5B in govt help for EV battery, assembly plants
Honda is set to build an electric vehicle battery plant next to its Alliston, Ont., assembly plant, which it is retooling to produce fully electric vehicles, all part of a $15-billion project that is expected to include up to $5 billion in public money.
Local Spotlight
'It was instant karma': Viral video captures failed theft attempt in Nanaimo, B.C.
Mounties in Nanaimo, B.C., say two late-night revellers are lucky their allegedly drunken antics weren't reported to police after security cameras captured the men trying to steal a heavy sign from a downtown business.
Fergus, Ont. man feels nickel-and-dimed for $0.05 property tax bill
A property tax bill is perplexing a small townhouse community in Fergus, Ont.
Twins from Toronto were Canada's top two female finishers at this year's Boston Marathon
When identical twin sisters Kim and Michelle Krezonoski were invited to compete against some of the world’s most elite female runners at last week’s Boston Marathon, they were in disbelief.
Mystery surrounds giant custom Canucks jerseys worn by Lions Gate Bridge statues
The giant stone statues guarding the Lions Gate Bridge have been dressed in custom Vancouver Canucks jerseys as the NHL playoffs get underway.
'I'm committed': Oilers fan won't cut hair until Stanley Cup comes to Edmonton
A local Oilers fan is hoping to see his team cut through the postseason, so he can cut his hair.
'It's not my father's body!' Wrong man sent home after death on family vacation in Cuba
A family from Laval, Que. is looking for answers... and their father's body. He died on vacation in Cuba and authorities sent someone else's body back to Canada.
'Once is too many times': Education assistants facing rising violence in classrooms
A former educational assistant is calling attention to the rising violence in Alberta's classrooms.
What is capital gains tax? How is it going to affect the economy and the younger generations?
The federal government says its plan to increase taxes on capital gains is aimed at wealthy Canadians to achieve “tax fairness.”
UBC football star turning heads in lead up to NFL draft
At 6'8" and 350 pounds, there is nothing typical about UBC offensive lineman Giovanni Manu, who was born in Tonga and went to high school in Pitt Meadows.