Conservative Leader Pierre Poilievre has fired back at Prime Minister Justin Trudeau for criticizing him for his opposition to “woke” policies, by saying the Liberal government’s current priorities have contributed to high inflation and increased crime rates.
While addressing delegates on the first day of the Liberal Party’s 2023 national convention in Ottawa on May 4, Trudeau said Poilievre is wrong to criticize the government for being “too woke.”
“Hey Pierre Poilievre, it’s time for you to wake up,” he said, also touching on his government’s “gender-balanced cabinet” and saying that “women’s participation in the economy has reached an all-time high” under his administration.
Poilievre focused on various government policies while responding to the prime minister’s comments. He said Ottawa’s attempts to “ban hunting rifles” while authorizing British Columbia to legalize some possession of illicit drugs are both examples of “woke” policies that are “not working.”
The Conservative leader also mentioned the federal carbon tax, which increased on April 1 and is set to continue rising every year until 2030.
“Meanwhile, you burn jet fuel, travelling to at least five luxurious global destinations at everyone else’s expense,” Poilievre said, addressing Trudeau and referring to his 2023 trips to two destinations in the United States, along with travelling to the Bahamas and Mexico City earlier this year.
Mutual Criticism
Poilievre also referenced a recent Parliamentary Budget Office report that found federal public servants are now paid an average of $125,300 per year including salary, benefits, and overtime, which is up from around $117,500 in the 2019-2020 fiscal year.“In other words, paying more for worse services,” Poilievre said.
Both Trudeau and Poilievre have criticized each other for focusing on issues that they say do not represent the concerns of most Canadians.
“I just spent weeks speaking with thousands of Canadians in town halls across the country,” Trudeau said on May 4. “Now their questions are pretty far removed from the ones I hear from Conservative politicians in the House of Commons.”
However, all opposition parties have consistently raised concern in the House over the last few months about reported interference activities being carried out by Beijing in Canada over the past number of years.
Trudeau did not address the issue while speaking at the Liberal convention on May 4. However, Poilievre referenced it in his response, saying that he will eliminate “foreign interference” if elected prime minister in the future.
