Conservative Leader Pierre Poilievre delivered a sweeping speech to thousands of supporters in Edmonton today.
It was a rally built for momentum, and Poilievre used every moment to position himself as the alternative to what he repeatedly called “the lost Liberal decade.”
The evening opened with Harper taking the stage to a long standing ovation.
“Canada right now needs change more desperately than it perhaps ever has,” Harper said. “And it needs someone to lead that change.”
Harper described Poilievre as the clear choice, drawing on their 25-year relationship. “My choice, without hesitation, without equivocation, without a shadow of a doubt, is Pierre Poilievre,” he said.
Harper said Poilievre had shown “political experience, elected accountable political experience, and the capacity for growth,” and emphasized that “Pierre has consistently opposed those policies,” he said, were responsible for falling living standards and rising crime.
“If your bank account and fridge have just both gone empty, my message to you is: have hope. Change is on the way,” Poilievre said near the close of his speech.
At several points, the Conservative leader painted a dire picture of the country’s economic and social conditions.
“This is the lost Liberal decade,” he told the crowd. “Inflation already having hit a 40-year high is now once again on the rise. Housing costs have more than doubled… gun crime has doubled… the economy is shrinking.”
He said Canada has lost $500 billion in investment to the United States, and that homes now cost “50 per cent more than they do in the United States.”
His solution: “A new Conservative government that will put Canada first for a change.”
Step-by-step policies rolled out
Poilievre’s speech included a series of specific promises:
- Cutting income tax by 15 per cent for average workers and seniors: “This tax cut will enable our workers to gain more by putting in an extra hour, earning a bonus, or getting a promotion.”
- Scrapping the carbon tax permanently: “I will axe the tax for everyone, for everything, for real, for good, forever.”
- Repealing Bill C-69 and the oil production cap: “We’re going to do precisely the opposite. A common-sense Canada First government will repeal the production cap… and commit to the aim of approving major projects in under six months.”
- Introducing a “dollar-for-dollar” law: “We will pass a dollar-for-dollar law. It requires we find one dollar of savings for every new dollar of spending.”
Housing affordability — a dominant concern in Alberta and across the country — was front and centre.
“We’ll sell off 6,000 federal buildings and thousands of acres of federal land to build, build, build,” Poilievre said.
He criticized the permitting system, saying Canada has “the second slowest building permits in the OECD,” and promised to fast-track approvals.
On crime, Poilievre called for tougher laws, pledging to repeal Bill C-75, which he called “the catch and release bail law.”
“There will be jail, not bail,” he said, also promising to reverse Bill C-5, which allows house arrest for repeat offenders.
He cited the story of a woman named Christina Trang, whose father was murdered in Edmonton’s Chinatown. “He was viciously attacked and killed by a rampant offender who was once again out on bail,” Poilievre said.
Poilievre promised to end what he described as Ottawa’s hostility to energy development. “We will repeal the no-development law C-69 to build pipelines, mines and everything else,” he said.
He pledged to reduce red tape by 25 per cent and pass legislation requiring two old regulations to be removed for every new one introduced.
“Boots, not suits,” he said, announcing a plan to train 350,000 trades workers and restore apprenticeship grants.
Midway through the speech, a power outage briefly silenced the microphone. With music cut and lights flickering, Poilievre raised his voice.
“We’re going to power through this,” he said. “Even under difficult circumstances, we need to stand up and speak out and make our voices loud enough even when the microphone doesn’t work.”
The outage was met with humour. “I think it’s a Liberal mic,” he joked.
Poilievre repeatedly positioned himself as an advocate for workers, seniors, and parents struggling with rising costs.
“We are not a nation of tax collectors and toll masters, of bureaucrats and busybodies,” he said. “We are a nation of artists and adventurers, of entrepreneurs and explorers, of workers and warriors.”
He called the inflation rate “a transfer of wealth from the have-nots to the have-yachts.”
“It’s not that things cost more,” he said, “it’s that your money is worth less.”
Harper’s presence was viewed by many as a signal of party unity and a bridge between past and present Conservative governments.
“I believe that the challenge this country faces today… should not be another excuse for Liberal failure,” Harper said. “Instead, it should be a historic opportunity… to make Canada what it should be.”
Poilievre ended the rally on a hopeful note: “To those who are on the brink of giving up, have hope. Change is on the way.”