SuppliedConservative Party of Canada Leader Pierre Poilievre is on a mission for power and control — starting with his own caucus. Between critiquing Prime Minister Justin Trudeau’s policies and Jagmeet Singh’s ideas, Poilievre has helped sow a climate of toxicity and fear on Parliament Hill — especially among the other Conservative Members of Parliament (MPs). While this on its own is concerning, the bigger issue is that these twisted priorities are making Poilievre blind to the needs of Canadians. So much so, that he is impeding on others’ ability to care for their constituents.
Recently, Trudeau’s Liberal Party has been working on housing projects for Canadians. From building more homes to leasing federally-owned properties for affordable housing, the Liberals are definitely trying. While this plan has been received with mixed reviews by Canadians, in a housing crisis I’m glad to see Trudeau trying to get something done. Poilievre however? Not so much.
Unsurprisingly, Poilievre has been less than impressed with Trudeau’s plans to address housing in Canada. Poilievre’s main problem seems to be the amount of bureaucracy that Trudeau’s plans are hiding behind. To the point where “build homes, not bureaucracy” has become the slogan of Poilievre’s housing plan. But just how far is Poilievre willing to go to block Trudeau’s plan? So far that he’s willing to potentially compromise Canadians’ access to housing.
Some Conservative MPs wrote to the Liberal Housing Minister Sean Fraser, advocating for their constituencies to receive funding from the Housing Accelerator Fund. Subsequently, Poilievre barred them from promoting the housing fund in their constituencies. He also created a list of the MPs that participated in this behaviour, which seemingly ‘blacklisted’ them. For someone claiming to want a ‘free’ Canada, it’s awfully ironic that not even members of his party can freely express themselves.
It’s not just the housing issue that Poilievre won’t relent some control for — it’s everything. A report published by Radio-Canada has revealed how little freedom there is within the Conservative Party. Poilievre doesn’t allow MPs to speak up during House of Commons (HoC) sessions without prior approval. He also has his staff keeping tabs on who’s speaking to reporters. Poilievre clearly has the Conservative MPs locked down, but for whose benefit? As the affordable housing situation has showed us, many MPs want to represent the best interests of their constituents. However, if Poilievre will seemingly ‘blacklist’ them for doing what their constituents elected them to, they might not do so in the future.
Now, you might think Poilievre’s control crusade stops with his caucus, but you would be mistaken. Earlier this year, he hinted at his intent to use the notwithstanding clause to put his proposals into law. Doing so would allow him to implement a law even if a court deems it unconstitutional. The constitution and justice system are apparently just more things he is willing to overlook in order to maintain control.
Over the years, Poilievre has shown us what kind of prime minister he plans on being, should Canadians elect him — one with control issues and a very specific agenda. If he’s losing his cool over affordable housing and already threatening to use the notwithstanding clause, what’s going to happen if his party comes into power? As we have learned, the rest of Poilievre’s party won’t stand up to him and he’s comfortable overriding the justice system. So what would be left to stand in his way?
