17 hours Ago By Ari Yanover
OTTAWA — Conservative Leader Pierre Poilievre on Monday accused newly crowned Liberal Leader Mark Carney of trying to “distract” from how he spent his time before entering politics by focusing on U.S. President Donald Trump.
Poilievre appeared before reporters to tell Canadians they should see no difference between outgoing Prime Minister Justin Trudeau and the former central banker who will replace him. “It’s ironic,” Poilievre said. “Mr.
Carney is trying to distract from his many scandals and conflicts of interest as well as his disastrous record as Justin Trudeau’s economic adviser by talking about Trump.” Interested in more newsletters? Browse here. Carney, who presented himself as a political outsider with deep economic experience, won the Liberal party leadership in a crushing first-ballot victory.
He captured nearly 86 per cent of the vote. With the party unified behind him, Carney is expected to trigger an election before Parliament is set to resume on March 24. For weeks, public opinion polls have shown the year-and-a-half lead Poilievre has held over the Liberals to be narrowing as more Canadians are finding themselves increasingly consumed by Trump and his threat of tariffs and his repeated comments around annexation.
The changing political landscape and Liberal surge have forced Poilievre to shift his message from affordability to why his party is best suited to steer Canada at a time when the U.S. has become an unreliable partner.
“Canadians have a choice in the next election,” Poilievre said. Voters can choose to give Liberals a fourth term in power after they oversaw a historic rise in housing and food prices, Poilievre said. “Or,” he said, “do they want ‘Canada First’ Conservatives who will axe taxes, build homes, unleash production of our resources and bring home paycheques, production and sovereignty to our country.
” Poilievre has taken aim at Carney’s record in business, noting how he has yet to disclose his assets and any potential conflicts of interest, which the new Liberal party leader said during the campaign that he would do as the rules require for public office holders. Given that Carney does not have a seat in the House of Commons, the ethics and conflict of interest rules covering elected officials did not apply to him during the leadership campaign..
