Conservative leadership candidates spar over pandemic, trucker convoy

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OTTAWA — Conservative management candidates laid into each other over COVID-19 mandates and the trucker convoy in downtown Ottawa within the first unofficial debate of the race Thursday.

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Leslyn Lewis, the MP who positioned third within the 2020 management race, challenged longtime Ottawa MP Pierre Poilievre over his file on standing up for Canadians’ freedoms all through the pandemic. Many Conservatives opposed well being measures like vaccine and masks mandates.

As Poilievre tried to argue he was one of many loudest voices, Lewis charged, “You weren’t one of many loudest voices.”

“You didn’t communicate up till it was handy so that you can communicate up. You didn’t even go to the trucker protest. You truly went and also you took an image in your neighbourhood at a neighborhood cease.”

Poilievre is working on a promise to provide extra freedoms to Canadians.

Lewis, who opposes abortion and is promising to ban so-called intercourse selective abortions, additionally challenged Poilievre over his stance on social conservative points, allegedly he has spent the previous few days avoiding media questions on the matter.

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“As a pacesetter he’s going to need to declare that,” she mentioned. “He can’t simply be a minister of finance if he desires to be a chief minister. He’s going to need to take care of social conservative points, which he has been working from this whole marketing campaign.”

Poilievre mentioned earlier within the week a authorities led by him wouldn’t introduce or go legal guidelines that prohibit abortion.

Former Quebec premier Jean Charest earned boos from tons of of the conservative devoted packed into the convention room in downtown Ottawa by saying Poilievre supported unlawful blockades.

Poilievre attacked Charest over his monitor file in Quebec and slammed him for being a Liberal as a result of he led the Quebec Liberal get together. He additionally repeatedly pressed Charest on how a lot cash he made working for telecoms large Huawei.

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Because the three candidates took turns specializing in each other, Ontario MP Scott Aitchison mentioned on stage that, as Conservatives, “all we do is yell and scream at one another,” and mentioned that’s a problem if the get together desires to be aggressive with extra Canadians within the subsequent election.

“Right here we’re calling one another names. What Canadian goes to belief this lot? We’ve obtained to do higher,” mentioned Aitchison.

He additionally added that: “Each time I hear a Conservative speaking about some conspiracy concept … there’s one other group of swing voters within the GTA that simply are usually not going to return our manner.”

That remark prompted pushback from Lewis in addition to Roman Baber, the impartial MPP from Ontario who was booted from Doug Ford’s Progressive Conservative caucus in 2021 over brazenly opposing a COVID-19 lockdown that was in place on the time.

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Baber says many Canadians nonetheless can’t board a airplane within the nation due to a federal COVID-19 vaccine mandate.

“Canadians are witnessing the continual erosion of our democracy and we must be aware of this dialog as an alternative of mocking them just like the Prime Minister does,” mentioned Baber.

The talk, hosted by the Canada Robust and Free Community, stared off by asking the 5 of the six candidates who confirmed up for the occasion why they imagine the Conservative get together has misplaced the previous few elections.

Aitchison mentioned consistency in message is essential whereas Charest pointed to the shortage of seats within the Higher Toronto Space in addition to British Columbia’s Decrease Mainland.

Charest says one of many points the get together faces making an attempt to interrupt by means of within the GTA is backlash over the 2015 Conservative marketing campaign, when the Tories vowed to create a tip line for so-called barbaric cultural practices.

Poilievre advised the room he has by no means misplaced an election, has a giant social media following and is attracting many new get together members along with his rallies.