Pierre Poilievre raises alarm over potential ‘fraud’
Politics Insider for Apr. 13: Poilievre and Brown struggle over memberships; Trudeau takes on Kenney; and a giant prairie snow storm
Welcome to a sneak peek of the Maclean’s Politics Insider e-newsletter. Sign up to get it delivered straight to your inbox within the morning.
Presumptive CPC frontrunner Pierre Poilievre’s lawyer has despatched a letter demanding the occasion ban membership gross sales utilizing pre-paid bank cards, warning of potential “fraud,” Global reviews. If the occasion refuses to ban them Poilievre hinted it will see them in courtroom.
“As we have repeatedly explained, our candidate does not fear losing a fair election,” the letter says. “Instead, our candidate is concerned that the leadership might be won by a candidate who has openly acknowledged cheating, and appears unconstrained by integrity and rules in his pursuit of political offices.”
The Poilievre marketing campaign supplied no proof of fraud, however the letter quoted earlier feedback from management rival Patrick Brown, wherein he appeared to make mild of membership purchases as “jaywalking.” In response, the Brown camp pointed to a 2017 compliance settlement Poilievre entered into with Elections Canada, and after the Global story dropped, Brown tweeted an assault on Poilievre.
Big crowds: CBC’s Catherine Cullen takes a glance on the large crowds that Poilievre is drawing, which, whereas not a certain signal that he has the race received, appear to indicate that one thing important is going on.
Former Conservative senior staffer Garry Keller mentioned he sees a parallel between Poilievre’s marketing campaign efficiency and that of his chief political foe, Justin Trudeau. The large crowds the rookie Liberal chief drew at occasions up and down the 401 freeway in Ontario throughout the 2015 election marketing campaign supplied the primary trace of the Liberal Party of Canada’s comeback victory over Stephen Harper’s Conservatives that 12 months.
“[Trudeau] was getting mega-crowds for Canadian politics with a moment’s notice. You can’t fake that. I’m seeing a lot of similarities with Pierre’s campaign,” mentioned Keller, a vice chairman at StrategyCorp and ex-chief of workers to John Baird, a former Harper cupboard minister and an adviser on Poilievre’s marketing campaign.
A motion: In the Globe, Gary Mason, who is just not sympathetic to Poilievre’s strategy, nonetheless sees a motion rising.
Many have written Mr. Poilievre off as somebody who can win the management of his occasion, however not the nation. While I may need been inclined to share that view just a few months in the past, I don’t any extra. There is a cause that hundreds are flocking to his marketing campaign rallies. In a latest swing by means of British Columbia, his occasions have been packed – greater than 1,000 individuals crammed into halls at a number of stops. Even college college students are turning out in droves. Some individuals have lined up for an hour after one in every of his speeches to get an image with him. There is one thing occurring right here that’s real. It’s straightforward to roll your eyes at Mr. Poilievre’s assertion that he’s beginning a motion, but it surely has that sure really feel to it.
Tamil pitch: Meanwhile, Brown has launched a video promising to “lift the ban” on a chosen terrorist group referred to as the Tamil Tigers, open immigration to “any Tamil family that wants to come to Canada” and apologize for Canada’s failure to do extra for Tamil refugees, the Star reviews.
In a brief video considered by the Star, the Brampton mayor appeals to Tamil neighborhood representatives, telling them that he wants their “help” with the intention to win the management of the federal Conservative occasion, as a result of the individuals he has to beat “are the same people who put the ban on” the Tamil Tigers. Brown urged his sympathies for the Tamil neighborhood have led him to be branded by the Sri Lankan High Commission in Canada “as LTTE,” — which stands for Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam, in any other case referred to as the Tamil Tigers.
Policy from Charest: Jean Charest made a coverage promise Tuesday, saying he would increase parental go away and permit pregnant girls to entry the federal youngster care profit, and present monetary assist for fogeys of children not enrolled in one of many backed packages, the Star reviews.
Scorched earth: At CTV, Don Martin has a pointy column noting that the open assaults and counterattacks between warring CPC factions are with out precedent, and may do the occasion long-term injury.
It’s scorched earth with a month to go earlier than the FIRST debate even begins elevating the temperature to a boil. One can solely picture what the general public will consider both frontrunner’s {qualifications} for management if this blitzkrieg of character assassination continues for the 5 extra months till voting day. By then the confused Conservative member can be satisfied Charest is a Justin Trudeau clone and Poilievre is Maxime Bernier’s twin. It units up the spectacle of the primary governing occasion of Confederation being ripped in two whereas the Liberal enemy is laughing on the sidelines.
Deterioration: CP has a observe on its lurid story yesterday about allegations of soiled tips in Alberta. Observers of Alberta politics say the story is an indication that issues have deteriorated in that province.
Red Deer redux: Speaking of decay and Alberta politics, Don Braid, within the Calgary Herald, has a column evaluating the scene on the Sheraton Hotel in Red Deer 5 years in the past — when an ascendant Jason Kenney packed the corridor — to the scene final Saturday, when Kenney addressed a small, hand-picked crowd as he struggles to hold on as chief.
Trudeau assaults: If Braid’s column wasn’t sufficient to convey Kenney down, Trudeau was additionally in Edmonton on Tuesday, attacking the province for blocking secure consumption websites as a response to the opioid epidemic, CP reviews: “As a government, we’ve continued to push for safe consumption sites. It’s unfortunate to see Alberta going in the opposite direction, away from a science-based and harm reduction approach. We know that municipal leaders, like here in Edmonton, are serious about supporting people through this terrible tragedy.”
A contented premier: Francois Legault was celebrating a by-election victory in suburban Montreal on Tuesday, the Gazette reviews. CAQ picked up a seat from the PQ, and the upstart provincial Conservatives leapfrogged over the Liberals.
Blizzard warning: Blizzard circumstances have been anticipated to develop in southeastern Saskatchewan and southern Manitoba on Tuesday night time, and snow in northwestern Ontario is anticipated to start Wednesday morning, CBC reviews. Stay secure!
— Stephen Maher
