Poilievre pitches 'common sense' as Conservative policy convention kicks off, delegates energized

QUEBEC CITY -

The Conservative Party's moment has come to sell Canadians on its "common sense" plan, Conservative Leader Pierre Poilievre told his caucus on Thursday, as they gathered in Quebec City for the federal party's three-day policy convention where controversial policy pitches risk impacting the party's broadening appeal.

To start the day, Poilievre rallied his MPs with a speech filled with the anti-Justin Trudeau messaging that would be familiar to anyone who had attended one of his rallies this summer: the prime minister and his nearly eight years in power are to blame for the rising cost of living, housing costs and the "crime, chaos, drugs and disorder" that are "common on our streets."

"Justin Trudeau of course, would like us to erase our past and cancel our future, and replace it with the dystopia that now exists in this country," Poilievre said, listing off proposals for how he'd govern differently, to applause from his team.

"That common sense plan will make Canada again the freest country in the world," he said. "United for our common home. Your home, my home, our home."

The energy in that room was then replicated on a larger scale, as the party's core supporters descended on the convention centre where they'll spend the next few days locked in policy debates, and listening to speakers who will leave them with messages meant to inspire them as they return to their ridings. 

The Conservative leader is heading into the party confab buoyed by the momentum of strong summer polling numbers—putting within majority government territory should an election be called— after he travelled the country championing his "bring it home" message.

But, with the latest Nanos Research numbers indicating a narrowing of the Conservatives' lead over Trudeau's Liberals, pollster Nik Nanos says this weekend's gathering carries high stakes for Poilievre if he wants to keep appealing to as broad a base of Canadians as possible. 

"I think for the Tories, what they have to do is to show that they are a government in waiting, and that they're not risky. And I think this this is why the meeting in Quebec City is going to be critical," Nanos said.

Coinciding with the convention kickoff, the Conservative Party unveiled its revamped new official logo, retiring the version of the Conservative "C" and maple leaf that O'Toole campaigned in front of.  

'A BIG TEST FOR POILIEVRE'

The need for Poilievre to sail smoothly through this weekend is already facing headwinds in the form of some of the hot button policy proposals the party's grassroots has put on the agenda.

While Poilievre is making an effort to focus almost exclusively on affordability and safety issues—of which there will be some discussion at the convention—other Conservative members are pushing to see the party wade into the kind of anti-woke culture wars playing out south of the border.

This includes advancing proposals calling on the Conservatives to take a stance on access to gender-affirming care for transgender youth in Canada and pushing to protect so-called "women's" spaces. 

As the convention kicked off, Fae Johnstone, president of LGBTQ2S+ advocacy organization Queer Momentum took to social media with a message calling on those gathering in Quebec City to "vote no" on the trans-rights-centric policies coming up for debate.

"I’d like to remind CPC MPs and politicos that their party’s anti-queer track record has lost them election after election… Don’t amplify bigotry. Let trans people live our lives in peace," she said. 

In an interview with CTV News, Johnstone said that these proposals if passed and eventually enacted by a Conservative government would restrict trans people's rights, and stand in the way of evidence-based healthcare. She implored all parties to rise above playing politics with the safety of trans kids, saying it would be "overreach" for any government to try to interfere in the care Canadians receive.

"It's going to be a big test for Pierre Poilievre and his advisers on how they manage— stage manage, and policy manage— this meeting. To make sure that it is a showcase for the Conservatives, to say that they are government in waiting, and not necessarily a party that is amalgam of some opinions that might not be popular with some Canadians," Nanos said.

And, after a summer where wildfires ravaged communities across the country, the Conservatives' climate policies are once again going to be up for debate at the convention.

While internal party divisions over social conservative issues and climate change policies also dogged his predecessors Erin O'Toole and Andrew Scheer at their respective 2021 virtual and 2018 in-person conventions, so far party strategists say Poilievre is working with a more unified caucus and cadre of supporters after his decisive first-ballot leadership victory almost exactly one year ago.

Poilievre has also made direct effort to balance listening to what delegates have to say about why they're prioritizing certain issues, while making clear he reserves the ultimate final right to decide what policies he adopts and runs on in the next federal election.

He's already told reporters he won't be commenting on any of the resolutions until members have had a chance to vote on them, as to not "interfere."

"The members of our party have great common sense… There's something like 55 different resolutions. I'm not going to sit here and offer opinions on all 55 of them before they pass," Poilievre told reporters in Quebec City on the eve of the convention. "I'd rather let the members review the motions and propose what policy they want me to consider, and when they do, I'll consider it."

It's not just Conservatives that will be closely watching this weekend's events. The Liberals and NDP will also be angling for any leverage that comes from contentious policy advancements, as they continue to try to contrast their approaches to the surging Tories.

"People are starting to get to know (Poilievre), and they're starting to like what they see. Now that's a fragile mix," said Conservative strategist Jason Lietaer in an interview on CTV News Channel.

"The Liberals are good at trying to paint Conservative leaders as scary… So what's at stake for him is to continue to introduce himself in a way that shows mostly suburban moms of the GTA, but also the Lower Mainland of B.C., Atlanta Canada… Quebec City… That he is to be trusted, he's got some real solutions… and to keep that momentum and to introduce himself in a way that says, 'You know what, you can trust me with the keys.' That's his goal," Lietaer said.

WHAT'S THE MOOD ON THE FLOOR?

On Thursday, eager delegates, MPs past and present, staffers, and long-time volunteers begun filing into the Centre des congrès de Québec, where training sessions were all that were on offer for delegates ahead of the evening's opening ceremonies.

By suppertime the halls were very lively, with delegates chatting, catching up, and making new connections. The party was selling Poilievre merchandise, including "women for Pierre Poilievre" and "Axe the tax" t-shirts and hoodies, priced at $35 and $50 respectively. The biggest seller as of night one, according to one of the merchants was a $35 camo "Bring it home" hat.

 

Those CTV News spoke with were in high spirits heading into the weekend, and downplaying the potential for contentious policies to overshadow.

"We will see how it goes, and how the delegates vote. It's a democratic process," said Brampton West, Ont. electoral district association president and past candidate Murarilal Thapliyal.

He said he thinks Poilievre is "very strong" and clear about his stance on Conservative policies. "Canadians are fed up with high taxes... affordability is the big question… A lot of things to be done, and we firmly believe that Pierre Poilievre will lead this country in a better way," said Thapliyal.

"It's a fantastic mood, the Conservative movement is on," he said.

Iain Provan, a Conservative member from Burnaby North-Seymour, B.C., echoed this praise for Poilievre, saying he thinks he's a "very sincere person" and making a good impression on people.

"There's a great buzz here, a very positive mood," Provan said. His push at the convention is to improve the cohesiveness and communication of the party's environmental policies, handing out pamphlets imploring delegates to be "intelligently green," by voting for five specific proposals.

"We're trying to really devise a new framework… That is briefer, memorable, and punchy," he said.

As for the gender-centric topics being brought to the floor on Friday, Provan said the whole debate and the language needs to be handled in a "far more rational, low-temperature way," but he rejected suggestions they were anti-trans.

"I don’t think a party can begin by worrying about a distraction. I think a party first of all has to decide what its principles are and have policy based on principle, and then there has to be good communication with the public about what exactly the policy is," Provan said.

Delegate Zeenath Singh said being at the convention was "absolutely energizing."

As the event began in earnest on Thursday evening, with more than two thousand delegates registered, the main convention hall was close to packed, to hear from party president Rob Batherson and handful of MPs and candidates on central Conservative policy themes including crime, housing, and the carbon tax.

Then, retired lieutenant general Michel Maisonneuve and his wife, Barbara took to the stage.

Maisonneuve made headlines after giving a speech at a gala in Ottawa last November where he criticized the federal government's climate policies and decried cancel culture.

On Thursday night, he didn't skip a beat before launching into similar remarks, telling the crowd how wonderful it was to be in Quebec City, and that its history as the earliest known French settlement in North America, should be celebrated and not apologized for.

His wife followed suit. "The current prime minister leads by example with his sense of entitlement, complete lack of personal responsibility, and this innate ability to see endless flaws in everyone else, but none in himself," she said, calling for voters to rid Canada of his "me-first" mentality and "woke agenda."

• WATCH: Maisonneuve's convention speech

The largest applause they received was when they spoke about how the Canadian flag should be flying from all government buildings.

"This is the flag that can and should unite all Canadians. It is the flag. It stands for all our freedoms as Canadians, without regard to special interests, as all equal under the law. Why should we not be patriotic," Maisonneuve said.

Their speech ended with an endorsement of Poilievre as the leader Canada deserves.

WHAT'S ON CONVENTION AGENDA?

Over the course of the next few days, convention attendees will be hearing from other speakers prominent within conservative circles, between policy deliberations, socializing and pre-election training.

On Friday, thematically-grouped policy deliberations will get underway in various rooms at the convention centre, and delegates will be breaking for a midday address by former Conservative cabinet minister and one-time leadership hopeful Peter MacKay.

The marquee event of the weekend will be Poilievre's rally-style speech from the main stage on Friday night.

Poilievre is expected to be introduced by his wife Anaida, who has played a role in Poilievre's campaign and image in the lead up to, and since, he won the leadership. She's taken a more prominent place at his side in recent weeks though, coinciding with a massive national ad campaign aiming to soften her husband's attack-dog persona, gained after spending most of his adult life in federal politics.

The weekend will conclude on Saturday with votes on what by then will be a whittled-down package of policies, national council elections, a lunchtime keynote from pro-Brexit British lord Daniel Hannan, and a closing performance by Canada's Got Talent winner Jeanick Fournier.

With files from CTV National News Parliament Hill Correspondent Kevin Gallagher