Conservative Leader Pierre Poilievre campaigned in St. Catharines last Friday and unveiled his party’s economic action plan should the Tories win the federal election scheduled for April 28.
Poilievre held a press conference as well, with the Ontario Shipyards at the Port Weller Dry Docks behind him as he made comments and then took questions from reporters.
Local candidates Bas Sluijmers (St. Catharines), Tony Baldinelli (Niagara Falls – Niagara-on-the-Lake), Dean Allison (Niagara West), and Fred Davies (Niagara South) joined Poilievre for his announcement and press conference.
Baldinelli and Allison are both seeking re-election, while Sluijmers and Davies are hoping to unseat Liberal incumbents Chris Bittle and Vance Badawey.
Poilievre started out by saying that there is no better shipyard anywhere in the world than the Ontario Shipyards.
The press conference, Poilievre argued, was all about highlighting the Conservatives’ plan to bring about change in Canada and “bring back Canada’s promise” and the sharp choice Canadians face when going to the polls.
“The choice in this election, of course, is that after the lost Liberal decade of rising costs, crime, and a falling economy, under America’s thumb, we can’t afford a fourth Liberal term,” insisted Poilievre.
“We need a change in government so Conservatives can axe taxes, build homes, liberate our resources, and build an economy to stand up to the Americans, for a change.”
Poilievre insisted that Canada built big things in the past, and responded to key economic challenges under Conservative prime ministers like Stephen Harper, but the country has been adrift after a decade of Liberal leadership.
Poilievre noted that under Harper, Conservatives responded to the Great Recession by introducing Canada’s Economic Action Plan. Poilievre promised that, should the Conservatives again form government after April 28, they will introduce a Canada First Economic Action Plan to respond to the current challenges the country faces.
Poilievre pointed out that while the Liberals may have a new leader, the Cabinet and team behind Mark Carney are the same individuals that have run the show in Ottawa for the past 10 years.
He also noted Canada has the worst economic growth, housing costs, and household debt in the G7.
To counteract this, the Conservatives are promising to reverse a decade of Liberal economic policies through cutting income taxes by 15 per cent for the average worker, eliminating the sales tax on new homes, working with municipalities to get development charges down, axing the federal sales tax on Canadian-made cars, and training 350,000 new apprentices.
Poilievre also highlighted a commitment to defer capital gains taxes when Canadians use their capital gains to reinvest the funds back in the Canadian economy, as well as plans to build a national energy corridor to get Canada’s resource production growing again.
Poilievre faced questions from the media about Sluijmers and his history of supporting pro-life causes, but he insisted that a Conservative government would maintain the status quo on abortion policy in Canada.
The federal election will be held on April 28, with advance polls open from April 18 through April 21, from 9 a.m. to 9 p.m.
Jay Goldberg is the Ontario Director at the Canadian Taxpayers Federation. He previously served as a policy fellow at the Munk School of Public Policy and Global Affairs. Jay holds a Ph.D. in Political Science from the University of Toronto.
