Juno News - May 06, 2022


Lewis questions if Poilievre is a genuine supporter of the Freedom Convoy


Episode Stats

Length

4 minutes

Words per Minute

158.3591

Word Count

700

Sentence Count

48


Summary


Transcript

00:00:00.000 So what was your feeling about the debate, the first debate of the leadership race?
00:00:03.880 I thought it went very well, and I thought I executed and answered the questions with great proficiency.
00:00:10.540 We've seen in the last week the importation of an American debate in the overturning or potential overturning of Roe v. Wade
00:00:17.400 and the federal government in Canada responding by doubling down on protecting abortion rights in this country.
00:00:23.260 If you're the Conservative leader, how do you lead the party and the country through that debate?
00:00:27.600 Well, I will definitely have free votes because it's an issue of conscience.
00:00:32.340 And I have really laid out what my policies are on abortion.
00:00:37.780 It is such a polarizing issue, and we need to build bridges.
00:00:42.340 There are so many people that are pro-choice, that have very similar views with some people who are pro-life.
00:00:50.320 And there's meetings in the middle.
00:00:52.280 And my policies of helping pregnancy care centres and preventing coerced abortion and fighting misogyny within the womb,
00:01:02.380 preferring a boy over a girl, fighting against that stereotype, these types of policies are unifying.
00:01:09.840 And the majority of Canadians believe in them.
00:01:11.800 So I don't think that it is something that needs to divide Canadians.
00:01:16.060 I see that there's commonality and we can build bridges.
00:01:18.980 One of the sources of contrast in the debate was an exchange between you and Pierre Polyev about the trucker convoy.
00:01:26.040 And you, as I took it anyway, were accusing him of not really being a genuine supporter of the movement.
00:01:31.500 What is your belief on that?
00:01:33.160 Well, my problem is that as Conservatives, when we are afraid of labels,
00:01:37.400 like you heard somebody else talk about conspiracy theories, then we start to do things.
00:01:41.860 Like if we're quoting, saying something about the trucker convoy, you use quotations,
00:01:46.180 which Mr. Polyev did do at the beginning.
00:01:49.040 And that gives you an opportunity to backtrack.
00:01:51.540 I see that as disingenuous.
00:01:54.720 You can't jump onto something if you truly believe in freedom.
00:01:58.620 Jump onto it when it's politically expedient to do so.
00:02:02.500 And that's my concern.
00:02:03.740 If you are the leader, you're going to go up against a media that, as we've seen in the last three elections,
00:02:08.460 is tremendously hostile to Conservatives, was hostile to the convoy, is hostile to social Conservatives.
00:02:13.660 How do you prevent the Conservatives from going through another electoral loss
00:02:18.180 when you are in this climate that's just not receptive to Conservatism, it seems?
00:02:22.640 Well, part of it is our problem, because we don't push back.
00:02:26.940 We run from the media.
00:02:28.420 We don't have conversations.
00:02:30.260 We allow debates to be closed in a free and democratic society.
00:02:34.520 And I just put what's out there.
00:02:36.640 I'm honest about where I stand.
00:02:38.420 I try to form policies that will benefit all Canadians.
00:02:43.240 And so I'm not embarrassed about what my Conservative policies are.
00:02:46.480 So there's nothing that the media could attack me on, because my policies are going to be out there for them.
00:02:52.720 If you're going through the race, I know it came up tonight, you're an Ontario Member of Parliament.
00:02:57.220 It's a field of Ontario and one Quebec Member of Parliament.
00:03:00.000 How do you unite the country, winning support in Quebec, winning support in Western Canada,
00:03:05.100 when this seems to have been a sticking point for governments and parties in the past?
00:03:08.840 Well, I did very well in the West, because I have deep Conservative values.
00:03:14.620 And I think it's very important to make sure that we don't have this Ottawa bubble mentality.
00:03:20.360 We can't be disrespectful to various regions.
00:03:23.640 We have to look at what their strengths are.
00:03:25.240 We have to formulate policies that will really highlight the strengths of various regions
00:03:30.580 and come together as a team.
00:03:33.180 If you are successful and you become the Prime Minister,
00:03:35.460 any of the people up on the stage with you tonight, would they be in your Cabinet?
00:03:38.640 I respect all of them that have put their name forwards.
00:03:42.080 I think that they're all formidable opponents.
00:03:44.660 And I think that they're all competent in what they do.
00:03:47.300 And absolutely.
00:03:48.720 Thank you.
00:03:49.220 Thank you.
00:03:49.780 Always a pleasure.
00:03:50.420 Thank you so much.
00:03:55.240 Thank you.