00:08:29.980Welcome to you all. This is a special edition True North broadcast for the Conservative Party of Canada's Leadership Results Show.
00:08:38.940We know that the Conservative Party of Canada is just in about an hour and three quarters going to be unveiling the winner of the Conservative Leadership Race that's been going on for the last couple of months.
00:08:51.100It's now down to five candidates, which we'll talk about at great length in the course of the show.
00:08:56.140We have Roman Babber, Jean Charest, Leslyn Lewis, Pierre Paulyev, and Scott Aitchison.
00:09:02.960There was a sixth, of course, Patrick Brown, but he was disqualified early on.
00:09:07.700And we will get to all of that over the course of the evening.
00:09:10.680I am very pleased to have a great panel here with me in the studio and also a couple of my colleagues in Ottawa.
00:09:17.540But before we get to that, I just want to say that on behalf of the entire True North team,
00:09:22.240our thoughts and prayers go to Her Majesty Queen Elizabeth II's family.
00:10:19.180And sitting to Sue Ann's right is Harrison Faulkner, my Fake News Friday co-host and also host of Ratioed on True North. Harrison, good to have you here as well.
00:10:28.740We'll get to our team in Ottawa in just a moment, but I want to ask both of you as we look at what's been, I think, a fairly uneventful leadership race in some respect.
00:10:38.860We obviously have Pierre Paulyevu emerged as a pretty clear frontrunner early on. What is it that you will be looking for tonight? I'll start with you, Harrison.
00:10:47.540Well, would it be too cliche, Andrew, to say that I'm looking forward to seeing some of these meltdowns,
00:11:19.660Sue-Ann, I know you worked with some of these people that he's going to be watching tonight, us have I.
00:11:23.180But what are you going to be looking out for this evening?
00:11:25.280Well, actually, Harrison, I've seen a fair degree of meltdowns in the last two weeks.
00:11:30.580I've had a lot of people warning that the world is going to come to an end
00:11:33.600if Pierre Polyev actually does win the leadership.
00:11:38.200It is unbelievable how these people work.
00:11:41.440And it's just like in the States with Trump. It's no different. But the other thing I'll be looking at is whether how Jean Charest will handle if he doesn't win, because there has been a full court press from his campaign team.
00:11:56.240Being as I'm a member of the Conservative Party, I've received many, many, many, many, many emails from his team, and I think he has a voice surrounding him, and I can't understand, in my view, how a former Liberal can be running for the leader, but we'll see what happens.
00:12:15.960Yeah, definitely good things to watch out for.
00:12:18.020I would say on my end, I'm always curious about who doesn't win and how exactly well they did.
00:12:24.880Because we know in the past, like 2017 and 2020, it really was second, third ballots that delivered the victory,
00:12:32.240especially the social conservatives in 2017 with Brad Trost and Pierre Lemieux that gave Andrew Scheer the win.
00:12:38.760And even last time, the same thing from Lesley Lewis and Derek Sloan, which gave Aaron O'Toole the win.
00:12:43.680So I don't see the dynamics as being like that this time around, but I do think it's going to be interesting to see, you know, how well Roman Babber does.
00:12:52.260You and I were talking about that earlier, Harrison.
00:12:54.160He's a guy who was a one-term Ontario MPP, not well-known outside the country, but has really, I think, impressed people in the debates.
00:13:01.520Lesley Lewis, her second kick of the can, and as you mentioned, Sue, and Jean Charest, who a lot of people know as a Liberal and now is running here.
00:13:09.180So we'll have lots to talk about here.
00:13:11.120I also want to tell you that my colleague, Candice Malcolm, is going to be returning from maternity leave.0.56
00:13:16.720She's that dedicated to be with us in just about 23 minutes' time here.
00:13:21.420But first, I promise you that we have a crew on the ground in Ottawa.
00:13:24.660We have two of our fantastic True North colleagues, Jasmine Moulton and Ellie Kenton-Nantel,
00:13:29.500who are doing the hard work, talking to people on the ground there.
00:13:32.620And I want to get a little bit of a primer on what we have planned for this evening from Ellie.
00:14:21.940There's no, you know, dramatic moment if you watch West Wing on the convention floor where, you know, people are going to come up and, you know, write in Stephen Harper.
00:17:46.960I mean, I asked Jean Charest about that in one of my interviews with him, and he basically just had to say, well, yeah, but I'm different than Aaron O'Toole.
00:17:53.420You know, I believe what I'm saying, and I'm consistent and clear.
00:17:55.860But I always think when voters are confronted with that idea of, you know, liberal in red and liberal in blue, they're probably just going to go with the real thing.
00:18:04.440Yes, and I think that there's two things going on.
00:18:06.200There's a strategy for the leadership election, which is just for conservative party members.
00:18:11.660And then there's a strategy for the federal election.
00:18:13.860The one thing you can say about John Chiray's campaign is that he's using the Aaron O'Toole, Andrew Scheer general election strategy in the leadership election,
00:18:21.200which I don't think is going to end up being successful for him.
00:18:24.860But I will say this. I'll say one thing about the result tonight.
00:18:28.800Conservatives should be careful to assume that the leader they are choosing tonight is the leader they're going to get on the election night in a federal election.
00:18:35.960We've been fooled. We were fooled by Aaron O'Toole, whose slogan was Take Back Canada in the leadership race.
00:18:41.740We were fooled by Andrew Scheer to some degree.
00:18:44.320Conservatives should be careful not to basically just to expect that there's going to be a different strategy in the federal election.
00:18:50.380I don't think, however, when you're trying to win over the Conservative Party base, appealing to the center and appealing to maybe traditional liberal voters is going to work out.
00:18:58.360But we'll have to see what happens. But there's really two different strategies in place here.
00:19:02.040Yeah, I think that's actually a really critical point, because we know that Aaron O'Toole said all the right things in the leadership race.
00:19:22.120It's for like the next four hours if we need to go into overtime here.
00:19:25.740But the thing was, Aaron O'Toole was saying defund the CBC.
00:19:29.380We're going to restore your firearms rights, conscience rights, balance budgets, all of that.
00:19:33.820And then when the leadership ended and he switched to that general election mode,
00:19:38.180he didn't just soften his stances he reversed some of them outright and I guess that would be my
00:19:44.380question to you Sue Ann about Pierre Polyev he has also been very unequivocal about certain things
00:19:49.920like at his rallies people chant defund the CBC and he chants with them how like the optimist in
00:19:56.700me says that he's boxed himself in so much that he can't reverse on this but the cynic in me says
00:20:01.360well I thought that about Aaron O'Toole last time so do you think he is gonna moderate how much do
00:20:06.380think he is going to have to moderate and change and how much do you think he can get away with
00:20:10.220between now and the next election interesting question i think he can get away with a lot
00:20:14.820because i think the the mood people are angry canadians are angry i mean you see uh justin
00:20:21.500trudeau i almost said pierre trudeau bite my tongue you see justin trudeau going out to various
00:20:26.460events and being mobbed and heckled and booed and you know the the guy is i mean he's had to beef
00:20:33.000up his security. He's had to cancel, you know, events. And I think Pierre Polyev reflects a very
00:20:41.200refreshing, in my view, strategy and a very refreshing view of the way he's connected
00:20:50.080with the Canadian mood right now. And I mean, Harrison, you said that. Andrew, you said you
00:20:57.380can't appeal to the centre-left. They're not going to vote for you. They're going to vote for
00:21:02.740they're truanons you know they're going to vote for trudeau and uh i think that you know i i really1.00
00:21:10.100honestly feel that this guy poliev is going to stick to his guns because that's what canadians0.83
00:21:17.040want they want the funding of the cbc they want better law and order um they i mean people are so
00:21:24.460disenchanted with canada right now i talk to my conservative friends and they say canada is just
00:21:31.840going downhill it's just really really depressing i think andrew if i could just if like you
00:21:38.360mentioned about pierre boxing himself in and expanding the party to such a degree that
00:21:42.200if he does turn his back on them on these new members that he's signed up and convinced
00:21:46.660i don't know if if the conservative party base will tolerate yet another uh uh flip-flop yet
00:21:54.500another trick basically yet another uh leadership a candidate telling them what they want to hear
00:21:59.040throwing red meat to the base and then when it comes time to actually trying to win in a general
00:22:04.140election basically campaigning on the opposite i don't know andrew if the conservative party will
00:22:09.520tolerate yet another one of of the sort of this bait and switch tactic i think it's got to be
00:22:14.500he's got to remain consistent and i also think that that requires him to figure out who's who
00:22:18.640he staffs his office with with if he wins it really boils even down to that he's got to stay
00:22:23.080on message i just don't see i don't see the party tolerating yet another bait and switch
00:22:27.640Well, we've seen, and we've also seen the way the media has handled him and how scared they are of his winning and how scared they are of, I mean, the CBC has just gone crazy, how scared they are, Toronto Star, for example, how afraid they are of a Pierre Polyev win and how they mock him.
00:22:45.620And he's held to his guns. And I really, I mean, you know, I've been in this game a long time. I really think that what you see is what you're going to get. And I sincerely hope that's the case. Because if the Conservatives haven't learned from the last two leaders, then, I mean, this party is a mess. It's just like, you know, what do you do with them?
00:23:06.340Yeah, and I think that you are right about that. And I've had a number of conversations on air and off air with Pierre Polyev, and I do find there is an authenticity there. And I think that's important because, I mean, obviously, it doesn't mean there's not showmanship to politics and his style, but I do believe that he believes what he's saying.
00:23:26.600And to be honest, I couldn't say that about Aaron O'Toole. I couldn't say it about Andrew Scheer during the leadership and even during the general election. And even after the general election, Andrew Scheer sort of admitted that in interviews that, yeah, you know, I wish I was a bit more myself and I wish I was a bit more authentic and all that.
00:23:42.320So I think when we're looking at tonight and what's going to happen, you are absolutely right that the media is going to pounce.
00:23:51.300And I think that the one lesson I would give the Conservative Party, if they haven't for some reason figured out on their own,
00:23:57.160is that once someone becomes the leader of the Conservatives, they could be the most left-wing person imaginable.
00:24:03.480But they're going to be Attila the Hun, they're going to be Hitler, they're going to be all of these things to the media.
00:24:07.700And that was the thing, is that you can't actually play Mr. Nice Guy with them.
00:24:11.100And the one thing that Pierre Polyev has always done very well is really try to flip the script on the media, not quite like Ron DeSantis, but very similar in style in that I've heard him say, well, actually, how can you say that?
00:24:24.080Where's your factual basis? And reporters sort of clam up and go, uh, and I think that's the only way that the conservatives can actually change the narrative is to start questioning the narrative and questioning the premise.
00:24:35.340What else can you do, Andrew, with the media? If the media, like you said, are never going to give a conservative leader a fair shake, no matter who they are or what they say, you have to at some point fight back. And I think Canadians just want to see that.
00:24:48.600I don't think you would see Justin Trudeau, for example, bowing down to a very hostile media toward him.
00:24:55.720I think he would actually go at them, and I think that's something that Canadians would actually respect.
00:24:59.780They don't want to see a weak conservative.
00:25:03.420They want to see someone who is ready to take charge right away that is going to rise to the occasion.
00:25:10.360And, you know, backtracking, apologizing to the media, you know, apologizing for your own words.0.93
00:25:17.840you just can't be doing that now there needs to be a whole new shift and I like I said I think
00:25:22.380the point goes down to who who is feeding these elite this conservative leader information who is
00:25:27.740who is the staff that have that have created the climate where conservative leaders feel they have
00:25:32.000to basically operate as liberals that needs to change I think and that's going to be something
00:25:36.080that really needs to take precedent I just got a message from a friend of mine named Nancy who said
00:25:40.820the headline is Sue Ann is right which I think is generally a good subject line in an email but she
00:25:45.300He says, you know, my house ballots for Pierre, mid-40s parents and professionals, some admitted to having been liberals.
00:25:53.180They're mad, frightened and deeply concerned.
00:25:55.460Pierre is going to win tonight and his new improved army will be ready for the opposition media and the progressives.
00:26:00.320We will not tolerate media lies about our leader or ourselves.
00:26:04.040So there is a there is a fieriness in a lot of Pierre Polyev support.
00:26:09.160And also when she says there that some of them admitted to having been liberals.
00:26:12.520I've heard that story from a number of people, people that have told me, I just took out for the first time in my life a Conservative membership to vote for Pierre Pauly F.
00:26:20.320So if that holds through the general election, this will be a very different election whenever it comes, won't it?
00:26:26.260And let's not forget that, I mean, as we saw in the States, the media are not electing, are not electing our next Prime Minister.
00:26:36.560It's you, me and Nancy that are electing the next Prime Minister.
00:26:41.860And, you know, I think the distrust in the media, I hate to say it, I was in the mainstream media for 31 years.
00:26:49.180The mistrust in the media is at an all-time high.
00:26:52.860And I think people are seeing through it.
00:26:55.420They've seen what's happened in the States with Donald Trump, God bless him, and with CNN and the very biased media.
00:27:03.700And we see the people in Canada are now seeing that the bailout media, the legacy media, are just Trudeau talking.
00:33:09.140And in the answer, I was even more confused than at the beginning, because I'm like, well, like if you can't say a yes or no to something that's in your platform, that's an easy win that you've already prepared.
00:33:21.280And the one thing that we were talking about earlier is that if you try to trade in your base for other voters, you're not going to get them, but you're going to lose your base.
00:33:30.660And at the end of it, you have no one that really likes you, respects you, wants to vote for you.
00:33:34.380And it's unfortunate because I actually think he is a decent person.
00:33:37.320But he made a decision. And I think you are right, Sue Ann. And I don't know if he's actually understood that he was responsible. The sense that I've gotten from seeing things he said previously is that he very much feels like he's the victim here.
00:39:41.240And I know that a lot of our viewers might not feel strongly towards the monarchy.
00:39:45.780I see the comments calling King Charles the WEF king.
00:39:51.080And I think that there's something to that, the idea that he has been political and he
00:39:55.780has put forth his his views on things which which is something that i don't i don't think that
00:40:00.180canadians want i don't think that anybody wants that from a king that's not the role and again
00:40:04.340it goes back to the importance of queen elizabeth and how incredible she was in that role again just
00:40:10.660to say i think she was the most important public figure most important person of our time and
00:40:17.060you know the idea that she has been a public figure andrew for 70 years she was she was crowned
00:40:21.700King when she was 25 years old. You know, you think of a 25-year-old. I mean, she was a public
00:40:25.560figure for much before that. I mean, her service started, I mean, that famous speech when she was
00:40:29.46021. So she took that even before she ascended. You're right. You're right. And even when she
00:40:34.360was 14, she gave a speech to the children of Britain at the time. And it's really incredible.
00:40:40.280You know, you see people today sort of buckling under the pressure of public life. And you see
00:40:44.860the way that Elizabeth lived her life focused on duty, focused on tradition, focused not on
00:40:50.840politics and the things that divide us, but instead the things that unite us. And it made
00:40:55.640me think, Andrew, do you remember a couple of years ago, Justin Trudeau, all he would ever say
00:40:59.660was diversity is our strength, diversity is our strength. And it was just so annoying and loathsome
00:41:05.720because it's not true, right? We're strong despite our differences, not because of them. Our
00:41:09.420differences are not our strength. And you think of one of the most important things in the world
00:41:14.920today. I mean, there's chaos all around us. There's huge crises, whether you're talking about
00:41:19.140oil shortages or inflation or the way that governments are so far removed from their
00:41:24.640people here in Canada. The elites are so out of touch and sometimes have disdain for the people,
00:41:30.460the way that the people were treated during the COVID lockdowns. And you think what we really
00:41:34.400need is unity. And I think that that is the role of the monarch is to unite people, not to divide
00:41:41.220us, not to bring politics into things, but to be that sort of steadfast institution that connects
00:41:46.820us to our past to our traditions uh remind us uh that that you know there's there there is a greater
00:41:52.100purpose to all of this to government and i i love what i'm seeing now in the uk people are coming
00:41:57.220together even just the images that we saw today of you know the brothers william and and harry
00:42:02.660back together i don't think they've been together publicly uh for a very long time there's obviously
00:42:06.820a rift there um so that unity and and that that's so much what the queen represented in and her
00:42:12.020her legacy. I hope that Charles, King Charles, maintains that and leaves his politics out of
00:42:17.340things. And I think it's fair for people to criticize Charles as the WF King because he's
00:42:22.380been very public about his views on all kinds of things that the World Economic Forum love to push.
00:42:28.560And I think that obviously the role of the monarch, you know, I don't know if any of us
00:42:34.200would choose, if we could design a system from scratch, if we would choose a monarchy,
00:42:38.640a constitutional monarchy. That's the system that we have. It's the system that we've inherited.
00:42:43.080And I think that the most important thing is not to have division, but to be united around that.
00:42:49.820And I will say, Andrew, I'm a little disappointed with the Conservative Party. I think,
00:42:53.060you know, you look in the UK and they've cancelled their parliament, aside from speeches and tributes
00:42:57.540to the Queen and the new King, no parliamentary business will happen for the next two weeks. And
00:43:03.220it seems a little odd that the Conservative Party would choose to go forth with this leadership
00:43:07.960race tonight. I know we've all been anticipating it and anxiously awaiting to learn who the winner
00:43:13.380is. But at the same time, it seems a little odd to your point, you know, dropping confetti
00:43:19.060and celebrating when it is a sober, somber moment in our country and in the world.
00:43:26.260Yeah. And I mean, I would love to find out what conversations went on behind the scenes on the
00:43:32.220leadership election organizing committee, perhaps, you know, conversations between them and Pierre
00:43:37.640Polyev's campaign, I don't have any inside knowledge, but like, obviously, if you're
00:43:40.760Pierre Polyev's campaign is the presumptive winner, you probably want your moment to come
00:43:45.040out on stage and say, you know, here I am and set the tone for the race. And the challenge is the
00:43:50.620news of Queen Elizabeth's death is not just a one day story. There's going to be a funeral on,
00:43:54.940I think, the 19th, if memory serves. So, you know, there you couldn't even just bump it back a week
00:44:00.200or two weeks necessarily. But you are right. I mean, the one thing that we should all be taking
00:44:05.300away from this past week is that there are some things that exist above politics and that our core
00:44:10.120identity as a country does not come from the Liberals or the Conservatives or the NDP or the
00:44:14.840Bloc or the PPC or the Greens, but it comes from the Crown. There's a reason the Mace is in the
00:44:19.340House of Commons. And, you know, a lot of this stuff just sounds like stupid, you know, mundane
00:44:23.720and arcane tradition to people, but it is actually quite significant. And I think you're very right
00:44:28.540to point out that this thing has been a constant in our lives. And the fact that we know the Queen
00:44:34.200is there but are not confronted with her presence every day is, I think, exactly a testament to
00:44:39.420her grace, quite frankly. And Prince William at the time, or sorry, Prince Charles at the time,
00:44:46.860and now King Charles III, has said in the past in interviews that he won't be an activist when
00:44:51.100he's the sovereign. But I don't know how easy it is to put the genie back in the bottle when
00:44:55.640people do know what you say and people do know what you believe, even if you're not saying it
00:45:00.580now well you're you're so right about the queen's grace and and right i mean he's 73 years old and
00:45:06.340he's finally getting his first job which is sort of the joke that you see in in the comments but
00:45:11.700we you know we know him as a public figure and so it's hard to ignore and erase that i'll just
00:45:16.180mention i i love the uh poster that you have up over your shoulder there the old flag the old
00:45:20.420policy the old leader and it it does you know connect us back to me queen elizabeth wasn't
00:45:27.300just a figure of the british monarchy and a sort of relic of the past she's a representation of
00:45:33.940western civilization she's she's the person that you uh look to when you when you look to the past
00:45:39.860and some of the greatest moments in the empire and in canadian history as well i mean you have
00:45:44.580to remember that when she became queen uh winston churchill was the prime minister and in in the uk
00:45:51.940and that just brings us back again so look i i don't think the family is perfect i don't think
00:45:57.140that uh you know i don't like the the sort of drama and the celebrity um that sort of overtakes
00:46:03.700things that the thing i love about the queen and why i admire her so much was that she didn't bring
00:46:08.500her personal life into things uh she didn't have these scandals and the drama that we saw uh with
00:46:14.020charles and unfortunately that we see with his with his younger son harry uh however i think
00:46:19.300that that's sort of the model of of public service and i think we could all learn a lot from her
00:46:24.180from her commitment to duty again, tradition, grace, all those things that you mentioned.
00:46:29.460Turning things back to the Conservative leadership race, I know you've been tending to, I think,
00:46:33.620a much more important job than politics over the last few weeks, looking after your newborn,
00:46:38.020and we all wish you very well on that. But what is it that you have been watching for either
00:46:42.900tonight or in general in the race? What is it that you want to see and kind of want to
00:46:47.620basically find out the answer to? Well, I think we're all just anxiously awaiting
00:46:52.580who's going to be the new leader of this party, what direction it's going to go, and sort of
00:46:56.960keeping our eye on the prize, which is that Canada is led by an absolute failure of a prime minister
00:47:04.080and a government, a despicable leadership under the Liberals. They've completely destroyed our
00:47:09.060economy. They've treated the Canadians with contempt. The way that Justin Trudeau behaved1.00
00:47:15.560earlier this year with regards to the trucker convoy, the way that he demonized the truckers,
00:47:21.220the names that he called them, the way that he treated the unvaccinated before that is absolutely
00:47:25.720despicable on becoming of a prime minister. And he needs to go right away, like as soon as possible.
00:47:31.420So I think that as soon as this leadership contest is over, we can focus on the more
00:47:36.380important task at hand, which is for conservatives to unite, to present a governing alternative to
00:47:45.540Canadians to move forth with an election, preferably as soon as possible, and get rid of
00:47:50.980this train wreck of a prime minister and a government. And the fact that there's, you know,
00:47:56.120this coalition with the NDP just makes it all the more undemocratic and frankly despicable. I
00:48:03.520haven't been following the news too, too closely, but I have been reading True North's emails and
00:48:08.340seeing, for instance, when Rupa Supramanya, our rock star podcaster, broke that story about the
00:48:15.520fact that there was no science whatsoever involved in some of the Trudeau government mandates. And
00:48:20.940then seeing MPs, liberal elected officials, condemning her on social media and calling
00:48:26.860it disinformation, you know, the same government that's trying to ban disinformation. I mean,
00:48:31.200the whole thing is so scary, frankly. It's Aurelian. It's despicable. And the way that
00:48:38.320they continue to behave day in, day out is unacceptable. And Canadians deserve so much1.00
00:48:43.840better. So, you know, I think that there's a couple of really strong candidates here.
00:48:47.600I hope that it's a clean victory and we can move on with a new leader and, again, focus on restoring our country, fixing the economy, getting things back on track, you know, living up to the potential of Canada.
00:49:00.600I've seen this country slide down so far in the past seven years. It's just, you know, Canadians are so much better. And I think that that's something that we should all, again, be focused on uniting around whoever the leader is and taking our country back, frankly.
00:49:19.420You mentioned the True North email list, so that I think brings up a great point here.
00:49:24.840When C11 comes in and Justin Trudeau flips the switch on True North, you'll always have the emails if you subscribe now.
00:49:30.480So head on over to tnc.news and you can subscribe.
00:49:33.560And I would also say, please, please, please, if you like the kind of content we're doing now, both here in the studio and in Ottawa,
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00:50:10.720Candace, I know that your colleagues, as well as mine, Sue Ann and Harrison, haven't talked to you in a little while.
00:50:15.480So I want to bring them into the discussion here. I'll start with you, Harrison.
00:50:19.280Hi, Candice. One thing I wanted to get your thoughts on was how you feel Pierre Polyev has led his campaign as a frontrunner.
00:50:26.700I think I've seen it. I saw a big shift in his strategy when after the Canada Strong and Free Network debate that you moderated,
00:50:34.560we saw Pierre Polyev attack John Charest really hard and come out really strong.
00:50:40.380And then, in my opinion, since then, he's shifted his focus more to Justin Trudeau and painting himself as the leader in waiting.
00:50:48.280What is your thought on how he's led this campaign as a frontrunner?
00:50:52.640Because that's not really the easiest position to be in.
00:51:05.380Look, I think that Pierre is clearly the crowd favorite.
00:51:09.840it. He's got the momentum. He's got the crowds. He's got the message. And, you know, you were
00:51:16.080talking earlier about how in the last election, it was Aaron O'Toole's to lose. I think I see it
00:51:20.740the same way with Pierre in this leadership. He was a front runner. And, you know, his strategy
00:51:26.000had to be, you know, to set himself apart. And I think, again, conservatives are going to do
00:51:32.340better when they are focused on taking down the liberals, not tearing each other apart, because
00:51:37.140we've seen so many times that uh you know what you say during a leadership race can be used against
00:51:43.460you in a general election and uh i i don't know if there's any clips from any of the debates or
00:51:50.500any of the back and forths that that will take take us to the general election and we'll survive
00:51:55.560for that but i think that i think pierre's running a good campaign obviously he's got he's got a lot
00:52:02.120of support from the people, also from the sort of rank and file of the party. When I was at that
00:52:09.440Canada Strong and Free debate, I spoke to so many people that I've known for a long time in the
00:52:13.600conservative movement, people who are new to the party, new to the movement, who hadn't been
00:52:18.440conservative party members before, but showed up because they believe in his message and they
00:52:23.420feel excited and motivated by what he has to say. So I think that he just has deep levels of support.
00:52:30.660But as far as his strategy, I mean, you could probably comment on it better than I can, Harrison, because you've probably been watching it a little closer.
00:52:37.400But it seems to me like he's he's been doing doing things right.
00:52:43.820No, I think that it's clearly he wanted to come out from the very beginning and paint himself as the prime minister in waiting, saying he saying in his opening video that he was running for prime minister and not running for conservative leader.
00:52:56.060And I think that's really something that he's tried to stick with, despite the fact that people expect him to attack John Charest and attack other candidates and the media is painting him as this attack dog.
00:53:06.580I think he's done an excellent job at staying on message, not falling into the media's traps, and maintaining his position, I think, as the out-and-out frontrunner.
00:53:18.080Have you guys opened that bottle of Maker's Marks? It looked like you have a nice bottle of bourbon there.
00:53:22.380I mean, you remember, Candice, because you were the co-host alongside me when we had the infamous like 3 a.m. leadership results.
00:53:31.460So we were like, oh, we didn't want to like burn through it and then still have like eight hours left to go.
00:53:35.760So we'll get into the maker's mark. But go ahead, Sue Ann. Sorry.
00:53:39.140Hi, Candice. I thought those videos that Pierre Paulyer did, the one with the wood and the other one in the restaurant when he talked about prices of eggs and toast going up.
00:53:51.140I thought they were brilliant. I thought the one in the restaurant was really well done.
00:53:55.960The question for you is, and we were talking about it, is do you think he can stick to his
00:54:00.060message once he gets into a general election campaign? Do you think that he can stand up
00:54:05.180to the media, the legacy media? We've seen it already. I mean, right from the, even during
00:54:10.880the trucker convoy, when they were out there saying, you know, basically just maligning the
00:54:15.480truckers. And he was, I think, one of the only politicians that I saw that was willing to push
00:54:21.220back, to ask them what they're talking about, to say what you're saying isn't true. I see Pierre
00:54:27.940as an authentic figure. I don't know him too well, but every time I've talked to him, he's said the
00:54:34.580same thing regardless of the, you know, whether it was on the record or off the record, public or
00:54:40.840private. And I think that he really believes in what he says. He's obviously very dedicated to
00:54:47.240the country. You know, he spent his entire career in public service. So look, I think that it's the
00:54:55.840art of politics is the art of what's possible. So the role of the conservative leader is to
00:55:01.200sort of bridge that gap between the conservative base and what people like us want to see and what
00:55:07.280we want to hear and appealing to the broader public and convincing Canadians that a conservative
00:55:13.420government, a conservative worldview is what's needed to fix so many of the problems in this
00:55:18.080country. I think the pendulum is swinging and I hope that he could be. I think he's the messenger.
00:55:23.380I think he's incredibly articulate, passionate. I think that he has what it takes. So if he is
00:55:28.840the leader, I think that the Conservative Party will be in really good shape to match up against
00:55:34.560Justin Trudeau and again, hopefully steer our country back on track. And I think, you know,
00:55:40.760to compare him to the last two leaders, if he is chosen leader tonight, I think compared to O'Toole
00:55:46.800and Andrew Scheer, he seems to be someone who has the conviction and who, you know, has that ability
00:55:53.360to really communicate a conservative message stronger than what we've seen. So, you know,
00:55:59.380I would be excited if he's the leader, and I think he's done a great job so far.
00:56:05.140One thing that I would raise as a concern about Pierre Paulyev is the relationship with independent media,
00:56:12.300which, generally speaking, has been quite strong.
00:56:14.140I mean, he's made time to come on my show, I think, twice in the leadership race, a number of times outside of it.
00:56:19.180I know he's been on your show, Candice.
00:56:20.900And generally speaking, I mean, his campaign has had a fairly good relationship with True North.
00:56:25.020They've sent us a lot of their materials and whatnot.
00:56:27.380But I also go back to when we were involved trying to host the independent press gallery leadership debate and Pierre Polyev said no to that. And ultimately that ended up triggering other withdrawals and we couldn't have it. Same with Western Standard. They were hosting a debate. Pierre Polyev's campaign said no. They ended up pulling the plug on it and eventually they revived it with a bit of a different format, which we know all too well in 2020 we had to do when Peter McKay did the same.
00:56:52.120And so I honestly would put as a challenge to him or a desire that you keep up that relationship, because we know that the mainstream media is never going to be the conservative leader's friend, no matter what.
00:57:04.560And we saw Aaron O'Toole spend a lot of time talking to independent media in the leadership, and then, you know, we couldn't find him anywhere afterwards.
00:57:12.700Yeah, you're absolutely right. And I think that that's something that we should all be on the lookout and hold them accountable.
00:57:17.240You know, I said the role of a conservative politician and leader is to bridge that gap between the conservative base and what we know is best for the country and the general public and what's palatable and what, you know, the art of what's possible.
00:57:28.520I think the role of journalists and pundits and conservative activists is to hold the politicians accountable for what they said before.
00:57:37.780Andrew, you've done a tremendous job of this over the years to make sure that what a conservative leader says during the leadership race to the conservative base matches what they say on the campaign trail.
00:57:48.220And to try to create the space, right, to try to articulate conservatism more broadly so that it becomes more palatable for the politicians.
00:57:56.360Because at the end of the day, politicians are going to do and say what they need to do to survive in their in their career and their path.
00:58:03.440And that is to get elected. And, you know, they're not always going to say the most conservative thing, even if it's true and even if it's what's needed.
00:58:11.060And so, again, it's our it's our job to sort of help help that pathway to make sure that that that that the policies that the conservative party think are possible in a general election match up to to our values.
00:58:24.200And I think it's so important. That's why I'm so proud of True North. I love what what even you know, even right now, I'm not part of the sort of content. I'm here as a fan. I'm watching. I'm reading the emails, watching all your shows. And, you know, the thing that True North does is we popularize so many of the stories that wouldn't that wouldn't have gotten out otherwise.
00:58:43.940I think that so much of the success of the Freedom Convoy and the shift that we saw with regards to COVID came from independent media, the fact that we were out there covering it, that we were telling Canadians the other side of the story.
00:58:55.060I can't tell you how many people have reached out to me to say, you know, I'll never be able to look at CBC the same way or the Globe and Mail the same way because I saw the way that they maligned the truckers and I saw your coverage and it just couldn't be more different.
00:59:07.860And, you know, I think that the fact that we're out there pushing that, providing Canadians with that alternative really does help a conservative leader because they have the ability to tell their story, not just in the frame of the legacy media who are going to lie about them.
00:59:23.720You know, you guys do a great job with Fake News Friday, pointing it out week in, week out, all the ways that the media misrepresent and malign conservatives.
00:59:31.760And again, it's such an important role for service for Canadians to see that.
00:59:37.260And again, I think that we, you know, we really do help conservatives stay true to what they're saying.
00:59:44.580So hopefully all that is just to say, hopefully we can we can encourage whoever the conservative leader is to stick with what they've said on the campaign trail here.
00:59:53.420I've been told by our COO to let you know that there's lots of love for Canada's on Facebook and YouTube in the comments right now.
01:00:00.160So you've got to look in between the WEF King Charles ones
01:00:03.760to find that everyone's so thrilled to see you
01:00:24.520I'll be up with my newborn throughout the night as usual.
01:00:27.580We'll be sending you the overtime timesheet as well.
01:00:30.160Well, keep up the great work, guys. It's really a pleasure to join you. Thanks, Andrew, for hosting the show and holding up the ship while I've been away again. It's great to know that the True North platform's in such good hands, such capable hands. I'm so proud of the progress that we've made at True North. I think some of the best journalists in the country are on our platform. And, Andrew, thank you so much, truly, for all you do for us.
01:00:55.100Oh, that's really kind of you, Candice.
01:00:56.560Thank you so much for giving me an opportunity to do it.
01:00:59.300So Candice Malcolm, we give her a send-off as well,
01:01:02.740and she'll be back soon enough full-time on the True North platform as well.
01:02:47.000I think it was like with a compliance deposit, $300,000, you get $100,000 of that back, if I'm not mistaken.
01:02:53.580So that means, I mean, for Scott Aitchison and Roman Babber, half of their expenditures or half of their fundraising has gone to just paying the Conservative Party of Canada.
01:03:02.720But Pierre Polyev, you know, almost $7 million, Jean Charest, almost $3 million.
01:03:11.920But this is why I think a lot of us have said Pierre Polyev is, in fact, a frontrunner in this.
01:03:17.720And if you look at the membership numbers here, the Conservatives have more members than they've ever had in the history of the party.
01:03:24.240You know, I love John A. Macdonald behind me, but he didn't have 670,000 Conservative members.0.97
01:03:29.560And of those, the majority have been claimed by the Polyev campaign.
01:03:33.480So it does look like Pierre Polyev is going to win tonight.
01:03:36.380However, that doesn't mean that there aren't surprises that we could see, notably involving how many people he gets or how many votes he gets, where he gets the votes, how many points he gets on the first ballot, the second ballot.
01:03:49.640And also, I think generally speaking, I would also say where the other candidates lie, because Scott Acheson is a Conservative Member of Parliament.
01:03:57.480Roman Babber may run for Member of Parliament.
01:04:00.980Lesley Lewis is a Conservative Member of Parliament.
01:04:03.100So all of these people are going to in some way have to work with each other with, to go back to your point, Sue Ann, the exception of Jean Charest, who hasn't said whether he is going to run again or whether he's going to run.
01:04:13.980Yeah. And that would be a true commitment to the party. But I think he's sort of like a drive by candidate.
01:04:22.000You know, let's see what happens. And if I don't win, bye bye. Go back to Hawaii or whatever he's done.
01:04:28.780yeah i mean i think there's there's a lot of stories you can look at from the rest of the
01:04:33.500candidates i think it's notable in my opinion and it hasn't gotten a lot of attention that there was
01:04:37.720this push from the liberal media and even some figures in conservative establishment to have
01:04:42.680leslie lewis disqualified from the race a few weeks ago uh because of comments she made i thought that
01:04:47.860was interesting i think the big big takeaway from from my perspective has been the performance of
01:04:52.740roman babber in this campaign yes if you look at any of our any of our content on the election or
01:04:57.260are live shows i know there are comments coming in right now talking about roman babber people
01:05:01.900saying that they support roman they think that he's run a great campaign and i think that speaks
01:05:05.660to the fact that he's been able to thread the needle between two sides of the conservative
01:05:10.080party he was he's been the only leadership candidate that was 100 from the very beginning
01:05:15.920a voice for freedom a voice against lockdowns pierre pauliev can't say that as much as i'm sure
01:05:21.220he liked to roman bat and leslie lewis can't say that either roman babber has been there from the
01:05:25.220beginning he's a true he's truly committed to this sort of anti-lockdown position in this pro-freedom
01:05:31.200side but at the same time you'll you won't see roman babber venture too far over to the right
01:05:36.220he's really tried to thread the needle and i think there's something to be said about that and
01:05:39.800my takeaway has been that he entered this race for his political survival he really had one
01:05:45.040opportunity to boost his profile uh and this was the leadership race i don't think he was in it to
01:05:49.980win it but i think he's been in it to maintain his position in the conservative space and he
01:05:54.020certainly achieved that i think tonight that that to me is is a guarantee uh we will see roman
01:05:59.300babber in ottawa as an mp uh and we weren't going to see him under doug ford again as an mp no you
01:06:04.820know that was out of the out of the question oh yeah he was kicked out of caucus exactly for
01:06:09.020taking a stand on the lockdowns when a lot of uh pc mpps in ontario uh and i mean sue ann and i you
01:06:15.260and i are both former pc candidates so we know all too well the challenges of ontario politics but
01:06:19.500But PCMPPs generally just shut up and fell in line.
01:06:22.580Yeah, he had no choice, in my opinion.
01:06:24.440If he wanted to maintain his space in the conservative movement for himself,
01:06:29.020he had to run in this race, and he had to boost his profile, and he's done that.
01:06:32.120So whatever result happens, I think Roman Babber has succeeded in his main objective.
01:06:38.100You know what? I have a lot of time for Roman Babber.
01:06:40.680I mean, I've been in touch with him through—
01:06:43.400I was in touch with him when I was a columnist for The Sun
01:06:46.420because of his covid policies and some of the things that were going on with masking no masking
01:06:52.360vaccines and he stood up against some of the crazy policies and i mean you talk about sticking to
01:07:01.740your principles he did he's not going to win tonight because he's just not well known enough
01:07:08.940but um on social media and my contacts on social media i think there's a a general feeling of
01:07:16.100huge respect for him for what he's done and for his leadership in, you know, fighting some of
01:07:23.960these COVID policies and not being a politician who is an absolute sheep. Yeah, and I think you
01:07:30.560are right about that. I mean, I had a lot of, I don't want to say a lot. I mean, he didn't occupy
01:07:35.300a huge amount of my headspace, but I had qualms with Roman Babber early on when he was elected,
01:07:40.960because he really just seemed to be a fairly moderate person. And that's not typically the
01:07:44.920type of candidate I'm drawn to. But when push came to shove, he took a stand and at tremendous
01:07:49.760personal sacrifice. I mean, he became a one term MPP when he stood up and he spoke out in the way
01:07:56.140that he did. So we're going to talk a lot about all of these things here. I'm just getting an
01:08:01.180update. The room is still filling up. The program was officially going to start at 6 p.m., but it
01:08:06.920sounds like they're a little bit delayed, only at 60 percent full. So we will have to do a little
01:08:11.780bit of talking on our end, but first I'm going to throw to an interview my colleague Elie
01:08:16.760Quentin Nantel in Ottawa did with Conservative MP Pierre-Paul Hu.
01:08:27.960It's been a very long leadership race. Today's finally the day where we're going to find out
01:08:31.640who the next leader is. How are you feeling and do you think this is a good day overall
01:08:35.300for the Conservative movement? Oh yes, it is. It's a very great day today and especially with
01:08:40.360the weather we have today but you know it's a time to have a new leader because we need to be
01:08:46.020ready to fight Justin Trudeau and it's what we need to do as soon as possible it's why today
01:08:50.880it's a great day I'm supporting Pierre Pellievre so I hope Pierre will win tonight and then the
01:08:56.720next Monday will be ready. If I may ask a lot of your Quebec colleagues have endorsed Jean Charest
01:09:01.620the former Premier of the province so why did you decide to kind of do differently from most
01:09:06.620of your colleagues and support Pierre Pellievre?
01:09:08.940I think first of all, it's because Mr. Charest in Quebec is well known, former Premier, you
01:09:14.020know, and a lot of my colleagues worked with him years ago, so it's a personal connection
01:09:21.700It's why I think they support him, but actually what I expect is that my colleagues to join
01:09:27.860me with Pierre Pellievre and to stay in the team and to be ready for the next election.
01:09:34.180didn't do well in quebec in both 2019 and 2021 despite that you know when i go there i find a
01:09:39.300lot of people are conservative in in nature what do you think the party has to do differently to
01:09:43.060gain seats in the quebec region and in both and other places where they didn't do as well as they
01:09:47.700did in 2015. that's true i told you guys a lot of people who are comes up but it takes time
01:09:55.460Sometimes we don't understand where we are exactly and it's why a lot of them vote for the vote.
01:10:01.460Good evening, can you please take your seats?
01:10:03.460They are not just separatists, they just have a place to put their vote.
01:10:08.460So it's why next election we must talk maybe differently to people in Quebec
01:10:13.460and let them know that we are strong conservative like they are
01:10:16.460and they can choose us and vote for us.
01:10:19.460Because actually we have ten seats and we want to expand this.
01:10:23.460As I understand it, the official program is commencing now, so we go live to the Shaw Centre in Ottawa for the beginning of the Conservative leadership results.
01:23:28.420It's an honour for me to be the first to be asked by the Conservative Party of Canada
01:23:34.060to come and welcome you to the Aboriginal Algonquin traditional unceded territories.
01:23:42.560This land that we are on, this Pacific land, is like the Algonquin capital to us.
01:23:52.320My ancestors would come down from the trap lines in early spring from all over our land
01:23:59.420and come and meet at this very spot we had two very important things to get
01:24:08.780done one was the fertile ground to grow our crops that we needed to survive the
01:24:15.260harsh winters ahead but more important we held government as you all government
01:24:24.040we dealt with a lot of people ask well what did your government deal with you0.98
01:24:31.220were aboriginal savages like we dealt with trade negotiations elections0.98
01:24:40.480justice environment our trap lines had to be well taken care of because if we
01:24:48.320didn't take care of the environment we would not survive. I could talk on and
01:24:55.400on but I'm sort of limited on time and I really appreciate being offered the
01:25:01.340time to be with you. It's a truly honor for me and I hope that we continue in the
01:25:08.540future to include Aboriginal people to participate in your gatherings. With that
01:25:16.040For that, I pray. I pray for the simple things in life, water, the air that we breathe, we take for granted.
01:25:29.040I also pray and thank the Creator for Aboriginal and non-Aboriginal people that we are able and given the pleasure and the privilege to live in the greatest country in the world.
01:25:46.040I also ask the creator to give as much support as the new members can to your new elected
01:26:08.860I believe that in unity, there is strength, and we need a strong Conservative Party.
01:26:26.860Just a couple of words quickly made for the Francophone population.
01:26:31.860I would like not to repeat everything I said, but I would like to say that we are lucky to live in the most beautiful country in the world,
01:26:39.860and also that we have a privilege. It's a privilege that we can't take for a key.
01:43:55.700Their quiet confidence is the source of our country's true greatness.
01:44:00.260It was for me an honor to direct the Conservative Party of Canada and to meet Canadians and Canadians from all over the country, from east to west, from fishing on the Fjord of Saguenay, and to say that I had the best plan.
01:44:18.260It was a privilege to meet so many Québécois and Canadiens francophones who spoke to me about their concern.
01:44:27.260I want to thank the millions of Canadians who have demonstrated their confidence in me and our plan for the country.
01:44:36.260My friends, the Conservative Party needs to be united behind our next leader because our country needs unity more than ever before.
01:44:45.260The Conservative Party needs to be compassionate because Canadians need to be heard and need to be understood more than ever before.
01:44:54.820And the Conservative Party needs to be strong, not with the strength to overpower our rivals,
01:45:00.980but with the strength of character needed to carry those in need or those who are losing
01:45:06.500faith in our country. Conservatives must put the unity of our country first,
01:45:11.780because the fabric of our federation has been stretched thin over the last few years.
01:45:16.740loss, fear, uncertainty. The pandemic came to our shores three years ago as a health crisis
01:45:24.720but has transformed into a political crisis. Dislocation and frustrations are eroding trust,
01:45:32.340weakening our institutions and harming our democracy. Social media makes it easier than
01:45:38.420ever before for millions of people to hear you speak but harder than ever to convince others
01:45:44.120to listen. A strong, compassionate and united Conservative Party can ensure that all voices
01:45:50.900are heard and begin the process of stitching the country back together.
01:45:56.000We need a unified Conservative Party that will give priority to the future of our country.
01:46:04.240We must protect divisions in this country and we must have unity and not division.
01:46:12.240Canadians in Quebec and everywhere in the country
01:46:15.040need a strong, professional, conservative team and united.
01:46:20.840So it is up to our party to always put the country first.
01:46:24.840From every grassroots member of our party
01:46:27.740to every elected member of parliament,
01:46:30.340we must put the unity of Canada first.
01:48:25.120LORENZ O' Can welcome our colleague from the Director of the Elbow Committee of
01:48:28.280the election. And an former candidate from the Manitoba
01:48:31.660during the last election, Shola Akbula for a special announcement.
01:48:49.140As a candidate for our great party in Manitoba during the last federal election under the leadership of Erin O'Toole and as a founding president of the Manitoba chapter of the Association of Black Conservatives in Canada,
01:49:13.720Now, I can say without any equivocation, any ambiguity or any doubt that Conservatives
01:49:23.720need to be and we must be united to win the next election.
01:49:38.660are looking for us to present a credible, progressive, and good plan for Canada to reach
01:53:24.500One of the Conservative Party's guiding principles is a belief in the constitutional monarchy, the institutions of Parliament, and the democratic process.
01:53:35.160Tonight, we are doing our part to support Canada's constitutional monarchy, the institutions of Parliament, and the democratic process.
01:53:43.960As we mourn the passing of Her Majesty the Queen and mark the beginning of a new reign
01:53:55.460of His Majesty the King Charles III, we follow the example she set to live our life,
01:54:03.380to do what is right, take the long view and give our best in all that the day brings.
01:54:13.960or new chefs, there are a lot of people to recognize this evening, our five candidates
02:06:22.000Candace, you stepped up where the country needed you.
02:06:44.000When you took over as leader, you inherited a really badly divided caucus.
02:06:48.000You've taken a very diverse group of MPs, brought them together, refocused and reunited us
02:06:52.540to do what we need to do as the official opposition.
02:06:55.120Your leadership and dedication in keeping the party united is greatly appreciated.
02:07:01.060You are the right person at the right time.
02:07:03.300You were successful in uniting us into a high-performing team.
02:07:07.120You know how to build good teams, and that's a skill in itself.
02:07:09.900When critics said it would be impossible to hold things together, you proved them wrong.
02:07:14.840Starting off in the class of 2008 as an MP, to a committee chair, parliamentary secretary, cabinet minister, house leader, deputy leader, culminating in the past few months as our leader of the Conservative Party of Canada.
02:07:29.060You've done such a great job in that time.
02:07:30.920You've been a pillar of strength for our party these last six months.
02:08:00.160Your steady hand, positive attitude and strong performance have served us well.
02:08:04.460Working under your leadership has been the highlight of my career.
02:08:06.880Effective leadership is leaving something better than you found it.
02:08:10.160And that will certainly be your legacy.
02:08:12.640It's so nice to have a leader who really appreciates the people who are in the party.
02:08:19.040And allowing members to express themselves freely on matters that are important to Canadians.
02:08:23.560You've also maintained an approachability that I've personally appreciated
02:08:27.280when I've come to you and when I've even brought your constituents to you.
02:08:31.360If you want to change the world, go home and love your family.
02:08:34.760And I felt that's what you did with caucus.
02:08:37.720Which is precisely why the party and movement are in a better place.
02:08:41.420You are not only a leader, an inspiration, and a mentor to our caucus, and especially the women in our caucus, but also to women and girls across the country.
02:08:52.660I admire and respect you as a friend, a colleague, and a great Canadian.
02:08:56.380I've always said that you are the heart and soul of our party.
02:09:00.440It is a testimony of the type of person that you are.
02:15:58.920You are all extraordinary leaders and I thank you and to the rest of our caucus, including senators who work day in and day out in Ottawa and their ridings and would come to Ottawa every week and bring advice and strategy and passion on how to deal with issues of the day.
02:16:20.440thank you to my caucus. Thank you to our caucus chair, Scott Reid, who has done a fantastic job
02:16:28.660over the last several months. Ladies and gentlemen, our caucus is made up of so many smart,
02:16:36.580experienced, wise and compassionate individuals. And if there's one piece of advice I want to give
02:16:44.240to the new leader whoever it is it's this respect listen to and trust our caucus they will not let
02:16:54.560you down now you know every leader leaves a mark and that pertains also to the those who serve as
02:17:08.560in the interim capacity, leaders in the interim.
02:17:12.000And I'm thinking of people like Deb Gray.
02:18:49.660Grant was our first interim leader after Stephen Harper and Peter McKay led us to unification.
02:18:56.480Grant's mark was the solid, sober professionalism that was so critically required in the early days of a new party.
02:19:04.660And so to all of my predecessors, all of the leaders of our party, all who have left their mark, both permanent and leaders in the interim, you have our deep and respectful appreciation for the strength and the success of the party that you helped build.
02:19:24.200So, yes, go ahead, give them all a hand.
02:19:28.000We all leave a mark, and we want it to be lasting, and we want it to be a good mark.
02:19:35.840And I hope I've been able to leave my mark as well.
02:19:43.100I want to be remembered as a leader who helped bring unity and pride to our Conservative Party.
02:19:50.700I want to be remembered as a leader who helped us move away from identity politics and labelling in our party and towards unity in disagreement.
02:20:01.340Unity while still holding different views.
02:21:11.240It has just been an incredible experience
02:21:13.560and I feel so blessed to be able to be here.
02:21:16.680but to be able to tell young people the opportunity that they have, not just young people,
02:21:22.080people of all ages, to be able to get involved and make a difference for their country and in their party.
02:21:28.720So it was with mixed emotions that I announced earlier this week that I will not be seeking re-election.
02:21:35.300After 14 remarkable years and five elections, I've decided it's time to open new doors and pursue other interests and passions.
02:21:44.360But no matter where I am, my friends, or what I am doing, I will always be a proud Conservative, doing all I can for our leader and our party.
02:21:59.440Now, speaking of leader, tonight is the night.
02:22:03.660Tonight is the night we're going to find out who our members have selected to be the next leader of the Conservative Party of Canada.
02:22:11.020I want to thank each one of the candidates, Jean, Leslin, Pierre, Roman and Scott, for putting your names forward and the great work that you and your teams have done. Thank you so much.
02:22:41.020And friends, I have no doubt we will support our new leader, we will buttress the new team,
02:22:50.460we will help them, we will prop them up and advise them. We will give our new leader the
02:22:55.740chance to flourish and pave the way for a new federal conservative government.
02:23:03.900Now I have served federally for 14 years and on one hand it does seem like a long time but on the
02:23:37.320compassionate, hard-working and generous and I want to thank all of those who supported me not
02:23:43.080only in the last seven months but those who helped bring me to Ottawa in the first place.
02:23:49.160Over the last several months a very special thank you goes out to Mr Wayne Benson,
02:23:55.000the executive director of our party and a fellow Manitoban. Wayne came out of retirement in PEI
02:24:03.560and he took on the job of executive director at my request during a very difficult time in fact
02:24:09.560it was literally when the emergencies act had been called so in the literal middle of a so-called
02:24:14.520emergency wayne benson came forward what a hero he was to me and with the help of rob batherson
02:24:25.240ian brody james dodds and a host of staff and volunteers they guided us through this leadership
02:24:32.440embrace. And I want to say thank you to each one of you. To my family, my siblings, and
02:24:39.820especially my children, Lucas, Delaney, and Parker, and your children, thank you for sharing
02:24:46.020your mom and Grammy, your daughter and sister with the country. And to my husband, Michael,
02:24:52.440who has been a true partner and companion to me through this entire journey as leader.
02:24:58.640He has worked with me, he has served, and his love he gave to me and I could give to you.
02:25:05.600And I want to thank you so much, my love.
02:25:12.060And finally, again, thank you to my wonderful caucus, the members of Parliament that are elected across this country to represent as Conservative members of Parliament.
02:25:24.580It has been the honour of my political life to have been your leader.
02:25:28.840From the bottom of my heart, thank you to all of you.
02:25:54.580Well, when you're a volunteer president, there are good days and days that aren't as good.
02:26:21.340But I had a great day earlier this week getting to do a little bit of a backroom scheme with Candace's husband Michael and my friend James Dodds, Chair of Conservative Fund Canada.
02:26:38.620And I don't know if the surprise got out.
02:26:40.680We tried to keep it from you, Candace.
02:26:42.180But we wanted to thank Candice for her work as our leader in the interim
02:26:47.280and her 14 years and counting of dedicated service to the people of Portage-Lesgar.
02:39:29.340I'd like to say a few words, ladies and gentlemen, about my duties as Chief Returning Officer.
02:39:35.340The duties of the Chief Returning Officer in this leadership race are primarily to monitor the process to ensure compliance with our Constitution and with the rules and procedures determined by the Leadership Election Organizing Committee.
02:39:52.340And I'd like to take a moment to remind everyone of a couple of the more important rules in this race.
02:39:58.840First, our Constitution requires that this race will be conducted on a one-member, one-vote point system.0.57
02:40:12.840It means that each of the 338 ridings in Canada are allocated 100 points.
02:40:19.840The Constitution, however, states that only writings that have achieved a minimum of 100 valid votes cast will receive the full complement of 100 points.
02:40:32.760Leadership candidates are allocated points based on the percentage of votes they receive in each writing.
02:42:07.180LIOC, pursuant to their rules, appointed Deloitte to monitor and verify the leadership election process and result.
02:42:17.600And then, Deloitte LLP was retained by Conservative Fund Canada, the Leadership Election Organising Committee, and the Chief Returning Officer to act as an independent advisor and observer for the 2022 leadership election.
02:42:37.580Conservative Fund Canada will be, and was, solely responsible for the provision of oversight
02:42:46.440and staff for carrying out activities adhering to all applicable election rules, including
02:42:53.900the credentials rules and counting rules.
02:42:58.140Well, ladies and gentlemen, the moment has arrived.
02:43:13.280Ian and I and Wayne are going to walk over to the results room and obtain the vote results
02:45:40.740See, last time, they delayed it until 3am
02:45:43.040because they didn't know. This time, they're just
02:45:45.040i think toying with us i'm joined to the studio by sue ann levy and harrison faulkner in ottawa
02:45:50.640we have my colleague ellie kentin nantel and also my colleague jasmine molten let's start with you
02:45:56.960sue ann i know you've been paying attention pretty closely to what's been happening here some of it
02:46:01.680was just that sort of usual very circular stuff and then they got to thanking o'toole thanking
02:46:06.880candace bergen but are is this party instilling confidence in you right now not with the beginning
02:46:13.680No, I mean, you know, we're talking about getting rid of woke politics and we've got the, you know, the land affirmation and...
02:46:24.980Two, they had two land acknowledgments, yeah.
02:46:26.920And then the gentleman in the, it was a really nice color and it was a nice suit in the, I guess, the indigenous man in the suit who came up.
02:46:38.160and you know it's just why did they have to pander to political correctness um all the stuff about
02:46:46.620the queen and you know giving tributes to the queen they would have been better uh off spending
02:46:53.860some time actually showing pictures of the queen in canada uh you know i would have even given them
02:47:00.900one or two, because I did cover two Queen's tours during my time at Postmedia. So, you know,
02:47:07.860but that would have been more appropriate, I think. Yeah, I mean, I think there were two things
02:47:13.180that jumped out early on. Number one was the, well, there was the one land acknowledgement,
02:47:17.560which used the word unseeded, which is actually not an insignificant term for the Conservatives
02:47:22.120to adopt, because it's like, okay, if you've unseeded it, then get off. Why were you paying
02:47:25.680the Shaw Centre for use of the venue? Why weren't you paying the Algonquin community?
02:47:29.400and then the other part of it was using and i get it's official but using the new lyrics the
02:47:35.820gender neutral lyrics to oh canada like anytime i've ever been at a conservative leaning event
02:47:40.860since justin trudeau's government changed the oh canada lyrics the loudest line is always in all
02:47:46.200thy son's command because it's like a point of pride whereas they did like in all of us command
02:47:50.780which is like i get it it's official but you know as conservatives you should hold on to it but
02:47:55.420But again, I mean, none of that is really coming from whomever the next leader is.
02:47:59.400It's just coming from the party administration.
02:48:01.900But I think if I'm reading too much into it, let me know.
02:48:04.060But I think it's indicative of that default position of let's try to be as inoffensive as possible.
02:48:08.960Let's try not to make the CBC pundits be mean to us.
02:48:11.700But none of it is going to do anything.
02:48:14.380No, there's no point to any of it, Andrew.
02:48:15.860And I think it started off really bad and then it just got worse and worse.
02:48:20.440That bourbon bottle was full when we started.
02:48:22.820So if you can see that, the maker, like that was full.
02:48:25.420and now it's down to like two-thirds this was supposed to be kept andrew in the event that
02:48:29.660the conservative party does what they usually do which is keep us for hours yeah it turns out we
02:48:33.340broke into right at the beginning if the chief returning officer comes back it's going to be
02:48:36.380down to about a third in the next 10 minutes but carry on i can't actually believe that they have
02:48:40.540the results ready i'm i'm shocked to say it i think that this was i thought this was going to
02:48:43.980be another late night they were going to have it have delays again but i mean where do you begin
02:48:47.900with that that shocker of a of a of a start really the fact that andrew you were talking
02:48:52.540about the unseated territory landing acknowledgement that is a step that is even that is a step above
02:48:56.860the landing acknowledgement it's an incredible thing for them to say the fact that they they
02:49:00.780they did the woke lyrics in no canada shows you i think just where this party really is
02:49:05.820you can look at you can read the comments on our stream you can look at twitter people are fuming
02:49:09.740about this this is just a it exposes the conservative party and i think really it
02:49:13.180exposes people who are working on the inside of that party not the not the candidates running
02:49:17.500not the mps but those that work behind the scenes as you said i don't even know if it's really they
02:49:46.880there are over like 5,000 of you on YouTube,
02:49:49.580plus many more on Facebook that are watching.
02:49:51.560So thank you. And let me just say to all of you here, I mean, we're in a studio here which we've rented out specifically for this because we want it to look our best, which normally is not the intention when you put me on camera, but nevertheless.
02:50:02.700And also we have a team in Ottawa and we're going to be covering, more importantly, conservative politics.
02:50:07.880And that includes the broader conservative movement, PPC, alternative parties, the UCP leadership race in this country.
02:50:15.200But we cannot do it without your support.
02:50:17.140So please, please, please head on over to donate.tnc.news and give a contribution.
02:50:23.480And for every $10 you donate, we will cut out of the returning officer speaking just like one minute early.
02:50:29.700So that's not a real promise, but you know what?
02:50:35.700And apparently they've closed the bar at the event.
02:50:37.960So this maker's mark is actually a valuable commodity now in this.
02:50:42.020But Sue Ann, just pick up on what Harrison was talking about here.
02:50:45.620I mean, you have on one hand a new leader that's going to come in and set the tone for what the party is supposed to be about.
02:50:51.140But you have all of the people that were trying to do that wokey woke stuff here that are still a part of that party.
02:50:56.580So how does a new leader, whether it's Pierre Polyev or through some strange occurrence, someone else in the race, how do they come in and clean house?
02:51:05.200Clean house. Just put your own people in and be determined about it.
02:51:10.760I mean if I can criticize Doug Ford for one huge thing is that he came in as
02:51:18.800premier in Ontario made all kinds of promises and did not clean house and the
02:51:24.840reason we have so many problems in education in Ontario and we have the
02:51:28.800woke politics the trans ideology the critical race theory problems is because
02:51:34.520he didn't clean house in the education ministry you've got all the old Kathleen0.99
02:51:39.100win guard. So, I mean, that is imperative. I mean, it shows to me all this wokey-wokey stuff,0.94
02:51:48.320although I did like the color of that man's suit. It's a really nice yellow.
02:51:51.800No, no one's objecting to the Algonquin man was fine. And I actually think, just on that note,
02:51:56.640I want to say something here, because I think Indigenous issues in Canada are very important.
02:52:00.800And I think the failure of Liberal governments to deal with them has left a huge opening for
02:52:05.640indigenous people and i think for conservatives to reach out to them and i think we saw in the
02:52:11.180course of the convoy this in particular when you had indigenous communities there which had a
02:52:15.580lower than average vaccination rate and were thus disproportionately affected by
02:52:19.880vaccine mandates that were saying yeah we support freedom we want to be a part of this movement
02:52:25.120so the issue is not within i think indigenous participation is huge and i want to make very
02:52:29.800clear i think it's the the pandering of it it's that conservative no one in that room believes
02:52:36.320that that is not canadian territory which is the premise behind this is the unseated language in
02:52:42.220land acknowledgement so so why are they pretending yeah and i mean this has gone on for quite some
02:52:47.420time i mean when i was at city hall for years they they did land acknowledgements at toronto city
02:52:52.580hall and you know it's it's just so hypocritical because i always say to people when they talk
02:52:59.300about i live in the occupied territory of auto or whatever or turtle island i say well if you're so
02:53:06.340concerned give up your home give up your business give up your office and move and let a nice
02:53:13.380indigenous person even the man in the nice suit come and live in your domicile but it you know
02:53:20.000it's just all tokenism and that's what troubles me really trouble i like yeah i liked this this um
02:53:26.680video that polyev put out during the campaign it was right at the near the top of the campaign
02:53:30.720when he was it was meeting with indigenous leaders and he made the point to talk about
02:53:34.700it's all the woke stuff is not going to actually better the lives of any canadian in particular
02:53:40.080the indigenous canadians who you know there is work to be done there is real government there's
02:53:45.480there's real government work that needs to be done and it doesn't involve pandering it involves it
02:53:49.520involves giving them the power to unlock their potential and giving them the skills to do that
03:00:23.660That comment you mentioned, though, I think is a significant one because it shows that the media doesn't understand Polyev's appeal in the same way that they didn't understand the convoy and they didn't want to understand these people.
03:00:35.460And like I remember when last week, I think it was, and Pierre Polyev met with a baker in Nanaimo, B.C. who made Nanaimo bars.
03:00:42.060And she was talking about how inflation was so bad, the cost of flour had gone up.
03:00:46.400And Tasha Carradine, who I get along with very well, very nice woman,
03:00:49.720she's the co-chair of Charest's campaign, you know, tweets out,
03:00:52.720oh, well, there's no flour in Nanaimo bars, as though this whole thing is fake.
03:00:56.020And Harrison, you and I talked about this on Fake News Friday,
03:00:58.940and the baker herself actually emailed me after that show and said,
03:01:02.260yeah, you were right, I was talking about, in general, the cost of ingredients.
03:01:06.860But, like, a lot of people are very disconnected from the fact that people are struggling right now,
03:01:12.100and Pierre Paulyev is speaking to those people.
03:01:14.300That's exactly what I was saying about the, I guess it was a video that went on Twitter and Facebook or social media, which he was sitting in a restaurant having breakfast, doing an imaginary chat with Justin Trudeau and talking about the price of eggs, the price of toast, the price of coffee, how everything's going up.
03:01:36.200And I don't know about you two, but I've certainly noticed when I go shopping how much more expensive everything is.
03:25:22.860And those who do own homes are paying more interest on their mortgages, even though this
03:25:28.140government promised interest rates would not rise for years.
03:25:32.360Mères monoparentales mettent de l'eau dans le lait de leurs enfants pour pouvoir leur permettre la hausse de 10 % de la nourriture d'une année à l'autre.
03:25:42.360Les personnes âgées voient leurs économies s'évaporer avec l'inflation.
03:25:47.360Des jeunes de 30 ans qui ont fait tout ce que nous avons demandé d'eux,
03:25:52.360obtenir un diplôme, travailler fort, vivre dans le sous-sol de leurs parents parce que les prix des maisons ont doublé.
03:25:58.360and those who have a house have more interest for the hypotheque.
03:26:23.200They don't need a government that sneers at them, looks down on them, calls them names.
03:26:27.780They don't need a government to run their lives. They need a government that can run a passport office.
03:26:45.940They need a prime minister who hears them and offers them hope that they can again afford to buy a home, a car, pay their bills, afford food,
03:26:54.100have a secure retirement, and, God forbid, even achieve their dreams if they work hard.
03:26:58.840They need a Prime Minister who will restore that hope, and I will be that Prime Minister.
03:27:15.900We will rekindle the hope that people's paychecks and savings can again buy a decent life.
03:27:20.200We will make government affordable so that life is affordable.
03:27:22.400We'll cap spending and cut waste to reverse inflationary deficits and taxes.
03:27:27.220That includes axing new taxes on your paycheck, gas, heat, and other essentials.
03:27:36.180It means fighting climate change with technology and not with taxes.
03:27:46.140We will restore hope that hard work will again pay off.
03:27:49.400Do you know that today, if a single mom with three kids earning $55,000 a year goes out and earn another dollar, she loses 80 cents of it to taxes and clawbacks?
03:28:04.400I will reform programs and cut taxes so that when that single mother and people like her earn more, they keep more, and hard work always pays off in this country.1.00
03:28:19.400Instead of creating more cash, let's create more of what cash buys.0.99
03:37:18.500I'm going to go further in talking about Quebec. I would say that the conservatives from all over the country have a lot to learn from the Québécois.
03:37:26.500The Québécois defend their heritage, their culture and their language. They don't excuse me.
03:37:32.500La nation québécoise tient tête au hawkisme.
03:37:40.500Mon gouvernement ne va pas se mettre le nez dans tout.
03:37:47.500Un état fédéral plus petit va faire grandir des citoyennes du Québec et du Canada.
03:37:53.500Small government makes for big citizens who own their homes, build their dreams, raise their families, look out for their neighbors, and earn powerful paychecks and savings free from inflation and overtaxation.
03:38:08.520We will restore Canada's promise in a country where it doesn't matter who you love,
03:38:13.780or if your name is Smith or Singh, Martin or Mohammed, Chang or Charles.
03:38:18.840A country where the dreamer, the farmer, the worker, the entrepreneur, the survivor, the fighter,
03:38:26.160the ones who get knocked down but keep getting back up and keep going can achieve their purpose.
03:38:30.620A country where the son of a teenage mother adopted by two teachers can dare to run for Prime Minister of Canada.
03:38:38.520In the words of the great Canadian Prime Minister, John Diefenbaker,
03:38:55.000I am a Canadian, a free Canadian, free to speak without fear, free to worship God in my own way,
03:39:02.120free to stand for what I think right, free to oppose what I believe wrong,
03:39:05.900free to choose those who shall govern my country.
03:39:09.240This heritage of freedom I pledge to uphold for myself and all of mankind.
03:41:41.640Marc-Arel Fortin, 59%. Like, a lot of these Quebec ridings where he was still edging out
03:41:46.440the former Quebec Premier. So, Sue-Anne Levy joins us in studio.
03:41:51.060as does Harrison Faulkner. Sue Ann, obviously this is for Conservative members. It's not the
03:41:56.160general population. But do you think Polyev is a guy that could actually pull out a surprise in
03:42:00.240Quebec in an election? One would hope. As we talked before, there is a tremendous,
03:42:06.340tremendous disenchantment right across the country. And I think these results
03:42:10.080show that Pierre Polyev spoke to disenchanted, disenfranchised Canadians. He spoke to people
03:42:19.940who were you know just so upset with the way things went during covid and post covid i mean
03:42:27.240i know that he even talked about the ariv can app that he's going to get rid of it well let's hope
03:42:31.720we don't have to wait till 2025 for him to do that for the next election but you know the big
03:42:38.700thing is that he's a threat a huge huge threat to justin trudeau and i'm wondering now if he'll
03:42:45.720actually show up to work answer questions in parliament you know and you know this might
03:42:52.740light a firecracker under him um but uh yes i i think that uh that he has the chance to really
03:43:01.220pull it off right across canada we have uh two colleagues in ottawa right now elie cantin nantel
03:43:06.360and jasmine moulton i want to go to jasmine who joins us by the telephone here jasmine good to
03:43:12.740have you with us thanks very much for calling in my pleasure thanks for having me so i don't think
03:43:17.340there was a huge surprise in the result i think the margin was the big question but i kind of how
03:43:23.260did this feel in the room because it looked like this was very much him speaking to a crowd of
03:43:27.860supporters andrew it was absolutely electric let me tell you it was standing room only at one point
03:43:34.900i had to run to the bathroom and try to make my way back to the media section and it was very
03:43:40.000difficult yeah you got to hold it in events like this it's quite difficult yeah so yeah i would
03:43:45.440have appreciated that tip before but uh i'll know for next time uh no it's it's the room is packed
03:43:50.560there's a certain energy here that really is palpable um and it really there was this
03:43:56.000overwhelming sense of unity as well there uh you know was barely anybody um in their seat the
03:44:02.480moment before it was announced and then certainly as it was announced uh the crowd uh erupted so
03:44:08.260let me ask you then about whether there was anyone who you could see really wasn't applauding
03:44:13.780because we know it did get very tense between the Charae campaign and the Polly F campaign in
03:44:18.780particular did there seem to be anyone that you know is very deliberately not having any of this
03:44:23.340certainly not from my perspective the one notable thing that I saw was the message delivered from
03:44:31.100Erin O'Toole was done as a pre-recorded video message and maybe I'm digging too much into that
03:44:36.700I thought maybe he would have delivered it live. Perhaps he is here. I'm not sure.
03:44:41.700But that was perhaps the one notable, you know, absence tonight.
03:44:47.340But it should really be confirmed whether he is here or not. I'm not sure.
03:44:50.100But his message was delivered by pre-recorded video.
03:44:54.320That said, everybody really did seem excited at how high the number was, 68 percent.
03:45:01.560And for any other kind of fellow nerd that's on a political related group chats, everyone had, you know, wagers going, how high is this going to go?
03:45:11.100I never came across anyone guessing anything as high as 68 percent.
03:45:15.100And so I think there was a level of surprise as well as, you know, just happiness that there's a united party here and that they're all moving forward united under under a leader.
03:45:27.500What would you say? I mean, you heard the speech there.
03:45:30.780He wasn't talking about some of the really red meat issues.0.60
03:46:13.160I mean, I don't know because the Conservative Party of Canada shut off its feed relatively soon after.
03:46:18.400Is he working in the room? Is he doing photos? Or did he get out of the room?
03:46:22.660He, to be honest, there's a lot of jubilant music going on in the background right now.
03:46:27.840it sounds like maybe east coast i i rushed out to take this phone call but i'd be surprised if
03:46:33.040he's gone because there's a lot of people that are really really excited to cheer him on and not
03:46:37.180just him uh his wife as well made uh quite an impressive speech but i think surprised a lot
03:46:43.300of people that maybe weren't as familiar with her she's uh very impressive and uh i think that
03:46:49.060uh there were a lot of people here who were happy to hear uh hear from her and that might have been
03:46:53.820really impressed um on their first impression of her all right well i'll let you get back in there
03:46:59.060jasmine molten in ottawa if you can get uh within arm's reach uh pierre poly have call us back and
03:47:03.620give him the phone we'd love to chat with him but uh thank you very much jasmine for coming on keep
03:47:07.340up the great work in ottawa thanks andrew all right that was jasmine molten we also have elite
03:47:12.460cantin nantel so the unity question is going to be the big one and i i don't expect and i don't
03:47:17.780think i'm speaking out of turn here jean charade who announced that he is seeking a seat for the
03:47:22.820Pierre Polyev led conservatives. But I guess the question is, and I don't want to be snide here,
03:47:27.700and I don't want to be glib, but we're talking about in the case of Jean Charest, a guy who
03:47:32.260commanded, you know, 16% of the points here. So if he's not throwing his support behind Pierre
03:47:39.440Polyev, I really don't think it matters. No, it doesn't. I think he's going to drift away into
03:47:45.960the sunset and probably go back to why why i i don't think i don't think he's going to stick
03:47:52.320around like i said he's kind of like that fly by night you know drop in candidate um and uh he's
03:48:00.400he's not going to be a factor at all i was going to say before the vote the results were announced
03:48:06.040that what really drives unity is a common purpose and a common purpose one would hope with a really
03:48:13.040good policy platform and a strong leader is beating justin trudeau isn't that what the
03:48:19.440conservative party is all about and this is what they should be focusing on in the next two years
03:48:24.320not petty infighting and one would hope that someone as strong and i think he is a strong
03:48:29.760leader as pauliev will keep that that party together well pauliev is certainly a strong
03:48:35.760leader uh suanne he's a strong speaker as well i think the unity question when looking at that
03:48:41.440number 68 percent that's a that is a major major victory and that in my opinion i don't think that
03:48:46.40068 percent represents where the party establishment is right now polyam in my opinion ran outside of
03:48:52.960the line of the political the conservative party establishment and i think really the unity is
03:48:56.960going to happen whether or not it's it's really the people that work inside the party that really
03:49:01.680are the establishment in the party they are the ones that talk about unity and they they kind of
03:49:05.760are the ones that decide when the party's unified or not and it's the media it'll be up to the party
03:49:10.560in my opinion to react to this result and recognize hey you know what it looks as though
03:49:14.360we've been offside a little bit with our base with conservatives in this country i think they
03:49:19.520have to react to the 68 percent polio needs to stick to what he's been doing stick to what has
03:49:23.840been successful and don't forget don't forget who brought him to the dance here this was this was
03:49:28.200the real real conservative base this was not an erin o'toole andrew sheer kind of spin-off he
03:49:33.660cannot abandon the people that brought him to this dance and if he doesn't he'll be successful
03:49:37.860Yeah, and the question is, is he expanding the base in an election context, a general election, without compromising the base and compromising the values?
03:53:04.840His old guard did not read the tea leaves.
03:53:07.700There has been a sea change in Canada.
03:53:10.400People are begging for change, and they're disgusted and tired of all the crime, the lax consequences for said crime, and all the impulsive and impetuous decisions that have been made by the Liberal government that have affected our lives.
03:53:31.800I have to say, this John Charest statement, to say that it's time for us to end the mudslinging, the internal mudslinging, to release that so soon after this campaign in which he was the chief mudslinger, he was the lead mudslinger in this campaign, and it wasn't just him, of course, it was his campaign.
03:53:48.380I think that's I think that's that's a pretty interesting thing to say I can't really believe
03:53:53.440he said that to be honest that everyone who's followed this race knows that his campaign have
03:53:58.760been going after Pierre Polyev and basically parroting the attacks the legacy media and the
03:54:04.520CBC have been have been laying on to Pierre Polyev talk about mudslinging I mean it's going to end up
03:54:09.980having to be people that support him and his campaign and his people that that were involved0.99
03:54:14.620in his campaign to actually recognize yeah they they're the ones that need to stop the mudslinging
03:54:18.220Scott Acheson has tweeted out a photo of Pierre Polyev.
03:54:22.280So he's going for the full headshot here.
03:54:24.120He says, congratulations to my friend Pierre Polyev
03:54:26.340on becoming the new Conservative Party leader.
03:54:28.760Pierre will be a great leader for our party
03:54:48.220I am extremely grateful and blessed for the thousands of Canadians who purchased memberships, donated to my campaign, and voted for me as leader.
03:54:55.220I hope to speak to many of you in the coming weeks to thank you for your support and encourage you to support our next leader, Pierre Polyev, from the bottom of my heart.
03:55:04.260I do want to speak about Scott Aitchison for just a moment because I do feel like in a lot of ways he was a bit of a punchline because he wasn't well-known.
03:55:12.800And a lot of people were looking and saying, like, who are you? Why are you here?
03:55:15.320However, he's always been a consummate gentleman in the race, and more importantly, he's always been the most policy-focused in the race.0.97
03:55:24.380I mean, he actually was coming out with some really red meat issues that I wish Pierre Polyev would have.
03:55:28.880Like, he was talking about, let's recognize Taiwan as a country, and let's end supply management, and let's support free speech.
03:55:35.420And I did find he was a little bit, he pulled his punches a little bit on some stuff, because he wanted to be the nice guy.
03:55:40.740But I do think there's a place for someone that's going to be that real sort of policy-want conservative.
03:55:46.700And I don't know if he's a white middle-aged guy from Ontario.
03:55:50.880So he's not like the diverse face you necessarily put forward.
03:55:53.880But I do hope that Pierre has a spot for him on his team.
03:57:44.140And I think a strong leader, a strong conservative government would recognize that Leslie Lewis plays a very important role.
03:57:51.120She not only is the only social conservative in the race with the courage to say what she says,
03:57:55.480But she's also, as you mentioned, Andrew, someone who gives the image to people who may not be considered conservatives to say, yes, there is a conservative that looks like me.
04:02:53.420So you will find our colleagues there, but let me just ask you, Corey, as you're talking to our audience now from Ottawa,
04:02:59.740no surprises about the results, I don't think, but was the margin what you had expected, this 68% victory on the first ballot?
04:03:08.700No, I don't think anyone is expecting that high, but, you know, it's a symptom of all the excitement that we've seen there from coast to coast
04:03:16.060and the people that came out to the rallies and bought memberships.
04:03:18.700It shouldn't shock us, but it shocked me.
04:03:21.460You're obviously the Member of Parliament for Saskatoon University,
04:03:24.820so I think it's safe to say that you are in one of the safer of the safer seats in Canada,
04:03:31.140We saw in the last election a leader that said he was going to deliver in Ontario
04:03:35.480and deliver in Quebec, and that didn't materialize.
04:03:38.380So what is it that you think Pierre Polyev is able to do
04:03:41.200to actually reclaim that victory that the Conservatives haven't seen since 2011 with Stephen Harper?
04:03:46.800I think the number one thing that Pierre brings to the table is the ability to explain complex solutions, conservative solutions to complex problems that everyday Canadians face.
04:03:59.420So if you think of, go to your Tim Hortons, you sit down and you talk about the average problems of an average Canadian, Pierre's listening to those people.
04:04:09.020Pierre is acting on policy and is acting on what he's hearing from everyday Canadians,
04:04:15.960and that's a little bit different than our past offerings to Canadians.
04:04:19.520I think Pierre bridges some gaps that we've never been successful in,
04:04:24.940and I'm very excited to see what he's going to do in a general election.
04:04:28.580I'm very, very hopeful for the future.
04:04:30.880One of the themes in Pierre's acceptance speech tonight was this idea of really reaching out,
04:04:35.300expanding the base and doing it in a way that doesn't compromise on the values he's been
04:04:39.740campaigning on. If this happens, that we have an election, as some of the rumors were suggesting
04:04:44.700in the fall, perhaps, do you think that's enough time to really mount a majority win,
04:04:49.380to introduce Pierre Paulyev to Canadian voters and get the victory?
04:04:54.980Time will tell. I don't trust these Liberals. I think they're going to pull a fast one on us.
04:04:59.700will be ready if it isn't in the fall here, but I believe the messaging and the person,
04:05:06.840more importantly, the person of Pierre Polyev on what he represents, resonates in this leadership
04:05:12.140race. He'll resonate in the general. We're going to take back Canada. We're going to save Canada,
04:05:17.000I believe, with Pierre Polyev. And just one last question for you, Corey. I know you want to get
04:05:21.000to the celebrations there. At times, this race was a little bit tense. We had some candidates
04:05:25.940that were being supported by different MPs.
04:06:18.780That was Corey Tokar calling in from the convention floor at the Shaw Centre in Ottawa.
04:06:25.180Very briefly, before we get to our next guest, I want to ask you, Harrison, about the PPC here.
04:06:30.640So Maxime Bernier has actually congratulated Pierre Paulyev.
04:06:33.940But there's a bigger question, I think, afoot that we need to ask now about that party.
04:06:37.840Well, the PPC do have a challenge on their hands now, Andrew, to find a way to...
04:06:42.040I mean, it was easy for Max Bernier to say, look, I am totally different than Aaron O'Toole.
04:06:46.360And, of course, with Andrew Scheer and the creation of that party, it was quite easy for him to make that case that he is the conservative alternative.
04:06:55.880He is the alternative to the conservative party.
04:06:58.560I think it would be a very good strategy on Pierre Polyev's side to really just, if you're trying to get rid of the PPC, wedge them out by embracing conservative principles.
04:07:09.820Just don't give in on those conservative principles.
04:07:12.060It'll be very, very difficult for the PPC to maintain that alternative look about themselves.
04:07:17.800And I do think there is going to be a lot of work on the PPC side.
04:07:21.540But I don't believe that this is going to end them by any means.
04:07:25.340I think there is still quite a large appetite in this country for alternatives.
04:07:29.460And a lot of people see these parties, the Conservative Party and the Liberal Party, as these big sort of monolithic type institutions that can't be moved, that can't really be swayed and can't be different.
04:07:40.560So there's going to be an appetite, but it'll definitely be tougher for the PPC.
04:07:44.600One thing I want to get to here is, you know, some of the policy aspects of this.
04:07:49.200And I believe we have Franco Terrazzano on the line, who is the federal director for the Canadian Taxpayers Federation.
04:07:55.600Franco, I know, generally speaking, all of the campaigns, all of the candidates were talking about issues that were of, I think, general support to fiscal conservatives.
04:08:04.000I think oftentimes where the divisions in the Conservative Party comes are from things other than fiscal issues.
04:08:09.060But what would your message be to Pierre Polyev from the taxpayer perspective?
04:08:17.960Oh, I don't know if we have Franco Terrizano.
04:12:51.220One of the things when we were getting Andrew
04:12:54.200ready for the election was we won that leadership
04:12:57.200by a very small amount and we had to spend time
04:13:00.200pulling the party together, reaching out,
04:13:03.200working with, it was an effort to put that
04:13:06.200together and our focus wasn't entirely on winning
04:13:08.200the election from day one because we had to pull
04:13:11.180party together. Pierre can start right now focused on winning the election, focused on taking
04:13:16.160down Trudeau and exposing the Canadians how Trudeau is failing them. So that's a big, big advantage
04:13:22.600in terms of time, effort, and focus, which no leaders had since Stephen Harper. And I think
04:13:29.320that's going to make a big, big difference. And I also think that the things he spoke about in
04:13:33.400the campaign, in the leadership campaign, are things that really appeal to Canadians. I mean,
04:13:37.940He's talking an awful lot about inflation.
04:13:39.500He's been the person sounding the bell on inflation before it was cool.
04:13:43.940And we all know that the cost of living is the defining issue of our times.
04:13:48.140Let me just ask you a question here that involves a bit of a crystal ball.
04:13:51.560And I think that, you know, obviously you've known Pierre Polyev for quite some time.
04:13:54.880So maybe it's just a character assessment on your part that you can give.
04:13:58.440But what's to stop Pierre Polyev from doing exactly what Aaron O'Toole did,1.00
04:14:02.520which is talking about all these red meat issues in a leadership race,0.95
04:14:05.600And then in the general election, really just reversing many of those and putting forward a general platform that is in many ways unrecognizable compared to the leadership platform.
04:14:15.880Oh, look, Pierre's been an elected politician now for 18 years.
04:14:19.700I knew him as a young conservative activist before that, and he's been rock solid all the way through.
04:14:25.580In fact, his slogan when he ran for his very first nomination back in 2004 was rock solid conservative.
04:14:31.720Pierre is a consistent movement conservative and has always been that way.
04:14:35.600And, you know, the things he talked about in this campaign are the things he's going to be talking about on the stump through the next election.
04:14:42.180And most importantly, the values that he brought to this campaign, fighting for the people who the gatekeepers keep down, is going to be at the core of everything he does going forward.
04:14:52.380I don't know how much of an opportunity you've had to scroll through the raw vote totals.
04:14:56.580I know they were just obviously released in the last hour.
04:14:59.080We've done a little bit of a look here.
04:15:01.140And the one thing that I find the most striking is that there really is a lot of support from Conservative members, even in parts of the country where the Conservatives are not really strong.
04:15:10.340I mean, obviously, Jean Charest did well in some Quebec ridings, but Pierre Paulyev did remarkably well in some very non-Conservative Quebec ridings.
04:15:17.620Is there, I mean, a formula or a strategy on how to convert that support to broader support?
04:15:24.540Yeah, I think, look, Pierre, we did extremely well across the country, 62% of the points, 62.2% of the points in Quebec.
04:15:31.140only won 330 of the 338 ridings, a very, very broad base of support.
04:15:38.260But it's really interesting to look at areas where Pierre had huge turnout at his rallies early in the campaign,
04:15:43.160places like northern Ontario, places like Windsor, large, large membership sales in places like Niagara Centre,
04:15:50.980blue-collar areas, often with a bit of an NDP tinge, areas that Conservatives have not done well in.
04:15:56.720And I think the message he's been delivering has reached out to people who are not traditional
04:16:46.940Now, it's unfortunate because he's actually very good at crunching numbers,
04:16:50.200and we haven't been able to get him on the show in the leadership race
04:16:52.840to crunch the numbers because he'd been doing it for one particular campaign. So we don't get that
04:16:56.760like dispassionate stat man analysis. But, you know, it sounds like the one thing he did say
04:17:01.920there that I feel was quite interesting is that they were expecting 66.9%. So obviously we can't
04:17:07.820verify that, but we do know that it was pretty close to what they actually got. So they knew
04:17:13.340this was coming. And I find it interesting that they still didn't really let up. They were still
04:17:17.940in the Poly F campaign running a very, I don't mean aggressive in a bad way, but a very
04:17:22.660eventful and busy campaign traveling the country really right up until the ballot cut off on I
04:17:28.500think it was Friday or Tuesday or Monday or whatever it was. Paulie have never really shifted
04:17:33.480his focus away from the Prime Minister's seat away from Justin Trudeau. Of course he at the
04:17:38.480beginning of that race he kind of went at John Charae a little bit and just sort of made his
04:17:42.560made his mark and position known on the trail but he has been consistent for months now going after
04:17:48.360the Prime Minister going after Justin Trudeau and going after this government and really opposing
04:17:52.340the government when when candace bergen was leader what during his leadership election he has been
04:17:56.580that that voice i think that probably andrew speaks to maybe an expectation that there will
04:18:01.700be a quick one poll on the conservative maybe an election is coming soon um and maybe this is going
04:18:07.860to just ride all the way through into a federal election if that's the case this is the right
04:18:11.540strategy to really just hammer at the prime minister and at the government and never really
04:18:16.020lose focus of who the real target is yeah he's looking prime ministerial he looked prime ministerial
04:18:22.180during the campaign i think and i think that uh that focus will only ramp up um and uh you know
04:18:32.420his he's like we we all said he speaks three languages his wife speaks three languages
04:18:38.500they're a power couple i have to say yeah and the one interesting thing is that we've talked a lot
04:18:45.460about the tone and the message and i think it'll be very clear early on how he wants to approach
04:18:51.380this and how he wants to go after new votes. I think that the one thing that's important is that
04:18:55.320when you look at Pierre Polyev's rally attendance, I mean, I live in London, Ontario, which is a
04:18:58.860city that went conservative in 2011 when Harper got a majority, but has really drifted left ever
04:19:04.600since then. And he got more people out at his rally in London than Stephen Harper got when he
04:19:09.560was Prime Minister with that majority, which I think is very telling. But Pierre Polyev,
04:19:14.020when he launched his campaign, he was the first one out, very deliberately said,
04:19:18.020Pierre Polyev for prime minister, and he was trying to position himself as the front runner,
04:19:22.780as the clear choice. It became something that his critics really mocked him for.
04:19:27.020But he did have a very prime ministerial tone at the beginning. And certainly, I'd say tonight,
04:19:32.160it seemed like a prime ministerial tone. Now, when he was scrapping and buying shawarma with
04:19:35.900Bitcoin, I don't know if that's prime ministerial or not. I mean, Justin Trudeau, I think, has
04:19:39.420changed the meaning of prime ministerial and not in a good direction. But I think the question will
04:19:43.960be, can Canadians see in him something that they want and something that they need when they are
04:19:49.460up against a very unpopular Prime Minister in Trudeau? Well, you know, it's interesting what
04:19:54.140Hamish was talking about, and we were talking about defunding the CBC and defunding the $600
04:20:00.600million. That's the big issue. Yeah, there's $2 billion right there. Yeah, the legacy media. But
04:20:07.040think about the long-term impact of that. They're going to fight tooth and nail throughout the
04:20:11.820campaign but we're going to know that that is all you know uh an opportunistic fight because they
04:20:19.640stand to lose people will see through that and i think that's a big big important important policy
04:20:27.640platform to to remove that you know to promise to remove that money because you've seen the way
04:20:34.460we've all seen the way the media has shifted how they're really just justin trudeau stenographers
04:20:40.020it actually makes me sick to watch the coverage in this country right now.
04:20:46.140We have a tweet. Sorry to jump in on you there.
04:20:48.380I just want to respond to Roman Babber's tweet here.
04:20:52.440He says, I congratulate Pierre Paulyer for a great race
04:20:54.560and becoming leader of the Conservative Party.
04:20:57.080I'm so grateful to my team, supporters, donors, and volunteers.
04:21:00.200We helped shape this race, our party, and our country.
04:21:03.480Let's go on to make Canada the freest country in the world.
04:21:07.120Now, interestingly enough, I want to point out the fact that he, Roman Babber, would not say when I did a sit down with him a couple of months ago, whether he was going to seek a seat.
04:21:18.240And he was being very coy. He said he hasn't, you know, hasn't decided yet.
04:21:21.480I think he will. He's certainly not, as you said, Sue Ann, going back to Ontario politics.
04:21:27.020But I do think it's going to be interesting.
04:21:29.040And if you look at his riding, he did very well in his riding with members.
04:21:32.400So he's clearly got a base of support there.
04:21:34.360I want to throw to an interview my colleague Lee did in Ottawa with Andrew Scheer, the former Conservative leader who's been supporting Pierre Polyev this time around.
04:21:46.340All right, well, I'm here with the former leader of the Conservative Party of Canada, Andrew Scheer.
04:21:51.640Andrew Scheer, your endorsed candidate, Pierre Polyev, won with an overwhelming majority on a first ballot, something we did not see in 2017 or 2020.
04:22:53.940And what advice do you have for Mr. Poliev to successfully bring everybody behind him in time for the next election?
04:23:00.140Well, first of all, any time you have a competition, you're going to have some disagreements.
04:23:04.520Other candidates had their vision and their policies that they were pushing or promoting, and Pierre had his.
04:23:10.360So you're obviously going to have some disagreements.
04:23:12.760With a result like this, it's a clear indication that our members overwhelmingly endorsed Pierre's vision for the party and the country.
04:23:22.400So the result is going to be the first step to help establish that unity.
04:23:28.060The second thing is, Pierre's all about individual freedom and choice,
04:23:32.040and that has a unifying aspect over it.
04:23:35.260If you like red ties and I like blue ties,
04:23:38.180if the government decides what tie you have to wear,
04:23:40.820well, one of us is going to be happy and one of us is going to be upset.
04:23:43.460If the government says you can wear whatever colour tie you want,
04:23:46.340well, then you get to wear the colour you want, I get to wear the colour I want.
04:23:49.400And that type of thinking does have a unifying aspect
04:23:53.100because people within our caucus, people within our movement,
04:23:55.780And Canadians will, I believe, will really support that type of government policy,
04:24:03.140letting people make their own choices.
04:24:04.460So his vision of more freedom has a unifying aspect to it,
04:24:08.520and the clear results, I mean, he won every province,
04:24:12.140and we're just getting the details now,
04:24:13.620but, you know, we're winning all but six ridings in Quebec.
04:24:15.980That's a fantastic show, a fantastic showing.
04:24:19.980Winning the Maritimes, winning the Prairies, winning in Ontario.
04:24:22.500So every region of the country coming together to support Pierre, that too will have a unifying aspect of it.
04:24:29.000So I'm very optimistic to walk into caucus this week.
04:24:32.080I do have to ask though, so you were unsuccessful at unseating Justin Trudeau.
04:24:36.480What advice would you have or would you give to Pierre's campaign or what mistakes should they not repeat?
04:24:41.860Well, you know, every election campaign is different and the scenario has changed in Canada.
04:24:46.220We're coming out of two years of lockdowns and we're experiencing sky-high inflation because of the Trudeau deficits causing the Bank of Canada to print money and create money out of thin air to cover those deficits.
04:24:58.140So there's much more of a realization, I believe, in Canada right now about the dangers of government overreach.
04:25:06.120So I believe the recipe for success for Pierre in the general election is to just keep doing what he's doing.
04:25:12.920It's been working. It's been drawing new people into our party.
04:25:17.060He signed up over 300,000 members, many of whom have never joined a political party in their life.
04:25:23.460So he's already taken an incredibly important first step of bringing new people into our movement.