A crowd of supporters gathered to welcome Pierre Poilievre at a rally in Westmount on Wednesday evening, but counter-protesters were also there.
The gymnasium of the Hebrew Association of Young Men and Young Women (YM-YWHA) of Montreal was packed during the visit of the leader of the Conservative Party of Canada, who launched his seduction tour through Quebec on Wednesday, where he hopes to win over voters.
Protesters, however, interrupted the Conservative leader’s speech three times, tearing down party posters and chanting slogans. Amid boos from the crowd, the protesters were ushered out of the room by security guards. Poilievre continued his speech after the speeches, dropping a few jokes. “Trudeau supporters interrupt anyone who disagrees with them,” he said, as one protester was escorted out of the room.
The Conservative leader reiterated his election promises to scrap the carbon tax, cut tax rates and tackle crime across the country. He also took advantage of his speech to attack the pro-Palestinian encampment at McGill University, which he described as a “Hamas-inspired hate camp.”
Pierre Poilievre in passing excoriated the mayor of Montreal, Valérie Plante, whom he pointed the finger at for the housing crisis afflicting the metropolis. “She’s more incompetent than Justin Trudeau,” he said. The leader of the Conservative Party of Canada promised his audience that he will make housing construction a priority if he comes to power. “It warms my heart to think of the beautiful family who will arrive in a U-Haul truck to move to their new home… In the old CBC offices,” he added, drawing thunderous applause.
The leader of the Conservative Party of Canada took advantage of this visit to Montreal to present his candidate in the riding of Mount Royal, lawyer Neil Oberman, who notably led the request for an injunction by two students from McGill University against the pro-Palestinian encampment that occupies the downtown campus.
He will face Liberal MP Anthony Housefather in the riding which has a large Jewish population. A serious challenge, given that Mount Royal voters have been voting Liberal since 1940. In the 2021 elections, Anthony Housefather received 57% of the vote, and 56% in 2019.
Pierre Poilievre thus kicked off his tour of Quebec, which begins in Montreal. Accompanied by his family, he will then stop in Victoriaville, Trois-Rivières, Rivière-du-Loup, Saguenay, and finally in Quebec. The Conservative Party thus intends to court the electorate of constituencies where it will lead a close fight against the Bloc Québécois during the 2025 elections.
The Conservative leader continues his progress in the voting intentions of Quebecers, although he continues to scare certain voters in La Belle Province. This was shown by the results of a Québécor-Léger poll, which revealed at the beginning of June that Pierre Poilievre obtained 26% of voting intentions in Quebec, a score which places him tied with his liberal opponent Justin Trudeau. However, it is still the Bloc Québécois which dominates in the province, with 31% of voting intentions.
