Canada’s Trudeau lashes out at new Conservative leader Poilievre | Politics news

Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau has criticized the new leader of the opposition Conservative Party, saying Pierre Poilievre’s rhetoric and policy positions, including on the economy, do not amount to “responsible leadership”.

Speaking to reporters Monday afternoon, Trudeau congratulated Poilievre on the win and said his governing Liberals would continue to work with lawmakers across party lines when Canada’s parliament resumes next week.

“But that doesn’t mean we’re not going to shout very questionable, reckless economic ideas. What Canadians need is responsible leadership,” Trudeau said.

“Buzzwords, dog whistles and reckless attacks do not add up to a plan for Canadians. Attacking the institutions that make our society fair, safe and free is not responsible leadership.

“Fighting vaccines that saved millions of lives is not responsible leadership. Opposing the support and investment that helped save jobs, businesses and families during the pandemic is not responsible leadership.”

Poilievre, a right-wing populist and career politician who has been a member of parliament since the mid-2000s, was elected Saturday as the new leader of Canada’s Conservative Party.

The Ottawa-area MP has opposed coronavirus vaccine mandates, supported anti-vaccine convoy protesters who occupied the Canadian capital earlier this year and questioned the Bank of Canada’s independence.

Poilievre has also cast himself as a defender of working-class Canadians, lambasting Trudeau for rising inflation — which he has dubbed “JustinFlation” — and government spending during the COVID-19 pandemic.

“Right now we have people who can’t afford to pay for their kids’ food … We have countless young adults still living in their parents’ basements, stuck in tiny apartments,” the new leader said during a Conservative caucus- meeting on Monday. .

Poilievre also issued a “challenge” to Trudeau, whose Liberals reached an agreement with the left-leaning New Democratic Party in March to support their minority government until 2025, asking him to commit to freezing any new tax increases, particularly for workers and seniors.

“There will be no compromise on this – the Conservatives will not support any new tax increases and we will fight tooth and nail to prevent the Coalition from introducing any,” he said.

First speech to caucus.

Our mission: Fight Trudeau’s tax hikes and deficit inflation to protect your paychecks and savings.https://t.co/9FmsR7BgxP

— Pierre Poilievre (@PierrePoilievre) 12 September 2022

But despite his rhetoric, the Canadian Union of Public Employees (CUPE), the country’s largest union with 700,000 members nationwide, has said Poilievre “will be a disaster for working people.”

“Pierre is a career politician who has collected a six-figure salary on the public dime since he was 24 and has spent every minute of his time in office fighting for fair wages, good pensions and a better life for working people.” Mark Hancock, CUPE national president, said in a statement on Saturday.

“He is not a worker and he certainly does not understand what it means to be a member of the working class.”

While former Conservative leaders have moved back to the center after winning the party’s top post in a bid to take votes from the Liberals in general elections, one pundit recently told Al Jazeera she expected Poilievre to go “full steam ahead” .

But a possible turning point could be toward being more specific about his ideas, said Lori Turnbull, director of the School of Public Administration at Dalhousie University in Nova Scotia.

“Because he’s going to be leader of the opposition, he’s going to have to say something in parliament, ask questions of the prime minister and take up some legislative space that’s not about vague ideas about freedom,” she said.

The Canadian Parliament will resume on September 20.