Poilievre supporters say they’re ready to go beyond ‘axe the tax’

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OTTAWA — As Conservative Leader Pierre Poilievre vows to carry his crusade against the carbon tax into the next election,  Canadians still need to hear more from him, say some of his supporters. 

Standing outside the Ottawa convention centre, National Post spoke with nearly 20 of his supporters and others who stood in line to waiting to see Poilievre speak at his “Canada First” rally on Saturday afternoon, some of whom were unable to get inside and told the event was at capacity.

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While those left in the cold pointed to the crowd size as proof Poilievre was on the right track, others shared their thoughts on what he had to do to win the next election, particularly as some public opinion polls suggest the race against the Liberals to be tightening, with Mark Carney emerging as a fresh face in the party’s leadership content.

Much like internal Conservative debates around how much Poilievre should focus on pushing his axe the tax message while Canada finds itself on a brink of a trade war with the U.S., some of his supporters were also split.

“I get it,” said Amber Hall, of Poilievre’s rhetoric around the carbon tax.

“It would be nice if he could soften things up so he’s a little bit more approachable because I worry that he’s just not very approachable by a lot of Canadians.”

Pedro Alfaro is originally from Peru but lives in Montreal and travelled to Ottawa hoping to see Poilievre. While he likes Poilievre’s axe the tax message, he had a suggestion for his tone: “Maybe a little more friendly.”

Others were more blunt.

“That’s a little bit old news,” said Paul Touzin. “Obviously we have to go down that road, too, but I think there’s much more important things that are on the on the agenda right now.”

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“He’s got to be a bit more relevant to the people.”

Topping that list for many Canadians is the threat of a trade war with U.S. President Donald Trump, who has announced plans to slap tariffs on steel and aluminum, after pledging to levy 25 per cent tariffs on all Canadian imports, which was ultimately delayed until early March.

There are also Trump’s comments about Canada becoming a state.

The point of Poilievre’s rally was to show Canadians he has a plan to deal with U.S., and signalled the start of a shift where the tariffs threats headline an affordability theme, which Poilievre wants to keep as his main message.

Lynn Totvim, from Gatineau, Q.C., said she attended curious to hear what Poilievre had to say when it came to the U.S.

“Sounds to me that he wants to stand up to Mr. Trump,” she said afterwards.

Even though Canada is dealing with Trump’s tariff threat, Totvim believes it was still important for the Conservatives to talk about axing the tax, saying she believes “we’re over taxed.”

“They can relay that message in various different ways,” added supporter Krista Zingel. “They absolutely should stay on it.”

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Getting more details from Poilievre on what he would do if he forms the next government, was a motivator for rally attendees and something they believe those not yet ready to vote for him must hear.

“I’d like more details because I heard a lot about axe the tax but I want to hear what’s next,” said Joshua Jespersen, who said he lacks a family doctor and is concerned about affording a home.

“The other parties are starting to pivot away from the tax and so I don’t think that works anymore.”

Supporter John Coffey said while he likes Poilievre’s stance against the carbon tax, he believes the Conservative leader should more directly explain how he would handle the U.S.

While it “sounds good to like axe the tax” Coffey said giving Canadians more details about how Poilievre would spent his first few years in government would likely ease their anxiety.

“It’d be nice if he actually went to the United States and spoke with Trump, but I suppose that’s not something that can be done at the moment.”

Since Trump’s victory last November, Poilievre has not signalled any intention of travelling to Washington to try and meet with the president or any administration officials.

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For Morris Hareuther, who was unable to squeeze inside, the Conservative leader has done a good job spelling out some of his policy proposals.

“That being said,” he says, “at this point, we need to be more there, especially under the circumstances with the trade tariffs coming up. I think we have to show that we’re reasonable, logical, level-headed people to deal with.”

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