Poilievre tries to head off PPC vote as Bernier bets on social conservatives
Pierre Poilievre is off to Manitoba to rally Conservative supporters ahead of a byelection that Maxime Bernier is hoping will send him back to Parliament.
The far-right People's Party of Canada leader lost his Quebec seat in the 2019 federal vote and lost again in the 2021 election.
The riding of Portage--Lisgar came up for grabs after longtime Conservative MP Candice Bergen, who served as the party's interim leader before Poilievre took over, decided to resign. Bernier will test his luck in the rural Manitoba riding that delivered his fledging party its best result in 2021, with slightly more than 20 per cent of the vote.
Numbers like that spooked Conservative MPs, especially those in the West who saw their typically rock-solid support slipping to a more populist party.
Bernier stood vehemently against COVID-19 health restrictions, while then-Tory leader Erin O'Toole struggled to strike a position on vaccine mandates that satisfied anyone the party's base.
Now with Poilievre at the helm, the federal Conservatives are facing a rematch and supporters are looking for a victory that quashes the idea that the PPC poses a real threat.
Poilievre plans to host a "special meet and greet" rally Friday evening in Winkler, a city roughly an hour and a half south of Winnipeg. MPs have also visited the area, including House leader Andrew Scheer, whose razor-thin defeat of Bernier in the Conservatives' 2017 leadership race paved the way for the former Quebec MP to strike out on his own.
During a news conference in Winnipeg on Friday, Poilievre strongly criticized Bernier and tried to draw a parallel between him and Prime Minister Justin Trudeau.
They would both "need a map to find Portage or Winkler," he said.
"If you vote for either of them, you'll end up with a Liberal government."
The People's Party's candidate from the 2021 race attributes his support in that vote to momentum driven by strong feelings about the pandemic.
And Solomon Wiebe thinks the political climate has shifted.
"(Bernier) would be very lucky to get half of what I got last time," he said in an interview on Thursday.
"This is just what my expectations are, and I like to keep my expectations real."
As far as Bernier is concerned, his biggest challenge is operational, given that his party lacks the strength of the Conservatives. "We didn't have that team in the beginning of the campaign." Money is another matter, as the Tories raised $8.3 million in the first three months of the year, compared to the People's Party, which hauled in just under $300,000.
Bernier believes people across the acres of farmland and Mennonite communities that dot the sprawling rural riding remember the pandemic.
It's a reality the Conservative candidate knows, too.
Branden Leslie -- who managed Bergen's election campaign in 2019 -- won the party's nomination over three others, including the former provincial health minister, by highlighting that he stood as "pro-freedom" while his opponent locked down churches.
It was in the region where Bernier was also arrested for violating COVID-19 restrictions in 2021.
His strategy for attracting support for the June 19 byelection has so far involved making anti-trans statements targeting youth and children -- characterizing it as a position on "gender ideology" -- and vowing to reopen the abortion debate. Both are issues he views as weaknesses for the federal Conservatives.
"It's important for people here," he said in an interview. "People want to have a real debate about (these) issues."
He also hopes to tap into frustration over what he calls "climate hysteria."
Poilievre also rails against what he calls "destructive woke policies," releasing a recent video showing the toppling of statues, vandalized Christian churches and a decision by one Quebec school to replace Mother's Day events with a celebration of parents -- a move that was made to acknowledge that some students were living in foster care, or had lost a parent.
Poilievre earned the support of social conservatives during last year's leadership race for his vocal opposition to vaccine and mask mandates, but there remain some who believe he should put a greater focus on cultural issues.
He has said a future Conservative government would not pass a law restricting abortion. And after ousting a social conservative candidate during a nomination race in rural Ontario back in March, some supporters of Campaign Life Coalition say they are "very cautiously observing" what Poilievre does next.
"We're not ready to abandon the Conservative party by any means," said Jack Fonseca, director of political operations for the anti-abortion group, adding he hopes that situation was a "one-off" and not indicative of the way social conservatives can expect to be treated.
At the time, a party spokeswoman said the candidate, Gerrit Van Dorland, was barred for failing to comply with a request to provide all previous comments made online or in other publications. His campaign disputed that.
Fonseca, who said his group has support in almost 900 households across Portage--Lisgar, likes at least some of what Bernier is proposing.
RightNow, another anti-abortion group that spoke out after Van Dorland's disqualification, is providing its supporters with information on where Bernier and Leslie stand on certain matters in the upcoming byelection, rather than endorsing anyone outright. That's because both espouse certain "pro-life" stances, according to co-founder Alissa Golob.
In a written statement, Leslie said he is "pro-life" and attacked Bernier as a parachute candidate.
"Maxime Bernier will say and do whatever he thinks people want to hear in order to get attention. He is pretending to be a social conservative, even though his entire record as an MP was to support woke policies," Leslie said.
Bernier, meanwhile, continues to blast the federal Tories as "fake conservatives." His message to prospective supporters is to "give Maxime a chance."
"'If you don't like what I'm doing, if I'm not keeping my word, then just vote me out in 2025."
This report by The Canadian Press was first published June 2, 2023.
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
'He's in our hearts': Family and friends still seek answers one year after Nathan Wise’s disappearance
It’s been a year since Nathan Wise went missing and his family is no closer to finding out what happened to him.
'My family doctor just fired me': Ontario patients frustrated with de-rostering
Dozens of Ontarians are expressing frustration in the province’s health-care system after their family doctors either dropped them as patients or threatened to after they sought urgent care elsewhere.
Ottawa pizzeria places among top 20 deep-dish pizzas in the world at international competition
An Ottawa pizzeria is being recognized as one of the top 20 deep-dish pizzas in the world.
Canada Post cracks down on Nunavut loophole to get free Amazon Prime shipping
Amazon's paid subscription service provides free delivery for online shopping across Canada except for remote locations, the company said in an email. While customers in Iqaluit qualify for the offer, all other communities in Nunavut are excluded.
Wildfire near Fort McMurray more than triples overnight, several evacuation alerts remain in place
The fire burning near Fort McMurray grew from 25 hectares to 5,500 hectares over the weekend.
Putin replaces Russian defence minister in rare cabinet shakeup
Russia’s President Vladimir Putin began a Cabinet shakeup on Sunday, proposing the replacement of Sergei Shoigu as defence minister as he begins his fifth term in office.
Man fatally 'slashed in the neck' in downtown Toronto, suspect outstanding
Police are searching for a male suspect after a man was “slashed in neck” on Sunday morning in downtown Toronto and died.
WATCH Dashcam video shows terrifying near-miss on two-lane northern Ontario highway
There were some scary moments for several people on a northern Ontario highway caught on video Thursday after a chain reaction following a truck fire.
Edibles, armchairs and adapters: Here are the recalls for this week
Health Canada announced various product recalls this week, including electric adapters, armchairs, cannabis edibles and vehicle components.
Local Spotlight
Want to boost your trivia score? Learn from these high school trivia whiz kids
English, history, entertainment, math and geography: high school trivia teams could be quizzed on any of it when they compete at the Reach for the Top Nationals in Ottawa in June.
Ottawa pizzeria places among top 20 deep-dish pizzas in the world at international competition
An Ottawa pizzeria is being recognized as one of the top 20 deep-dish pizzas in the world.
From outer space? Sask. farmers baffled after discovering strange wreckage in field
A family of fifth generation farmers from Ituna, Sask. are trying to find answers after discovering several strange objects lying on their land.
Wilfrid Laurier football player drafted despite only playing 27 games in his entire life
A Listowel, Ont. man, drafted by the Hamilton Tigercats last week, is also getting looks from the NFL, despite only playing 27 games of football in his life.
Federal government bans watercraft from Manitoba lake popular with tourists
The threat of zebra mussels has prompted the federal government to temporarily ban watercraft from a Manitoba lake popular with tourists.
Toronto-area dessert shop featured by Keith Lee forced to move after zoning complaint
A small Ajax dessert shop that recently received a glowing review from celebrity food critic Keith Lee is being forced to move after a zoning complaint was made following the social media influencer’s visit last month.
'Oh Crap!' New exhibit at Canada Science and Technology Museum explores human waste
The Canada Science and Technology Museum is inviting visitors to explore their poop. A new exhibition opens at the Ottawa museum on Friday called, 'Oh Crap! Rethinking human waste.'
Regina police hope new biometric monitoring system will save lives in detention facility
The Regina Police Service says it is the first in Saskatchewan and possibly Canada to implement new technology in its detention facility that will offer real-time monitoring of detainees’ vital health metrics.
Her SUV was stolen in Montreal. A Good Samaritan on Facebook helped her get it back
Just as she had feared, a restaurant owner from eastern Quebec who visited Montreal had her SUV stolen, but says it was all thanks to the kindness of strangers on the internet — not the police — that she got it back.