Unfit to be prime minister

In 2024 Mr. Poilievre showed three stark examples of unfitness to be prime minister. The first was at the funeral for Brian Mulroney. All other speakers were dignified and respectful in their tone and remarks. For example, Mr. Trudeau praised Mr. Mulroney’s accomplishments, including his international leadership to end South African apartheid, the acid rain treaty, and the Free Trade Agreement. He said that Mr. Mulroney “got the big things right”. Mr. Poilievre’s remarks were strident — a campaign-style speech — sharp, intense, and very much out of place at a funeral. It made me wonder if he had ever actually attended a funeral.

Secondly, on October 7, 2024, the first anniversary of Hamas’ mass murder and kidnappings in Israel, there was an event at a Jewish community centre in Ottawa. Speakers included our prime minister, Ottawa’s mayor, Israel’s ambassador, and other leaders. All speakers had messages of support for Israel, for ending the war, and for standing against terrorism. Mr. Poilievre could not resist politicizing the occasion, and, bizarrely, blamed Mr. Trudeau for fostering violence against Jews in Canada. His was an aggressive campaign speech at what was a sombre, solemn and sympathetic event.

Thirdly, on December 3, 2024, and faced with Mr. Trump’s 25 per cent tariff threat against Canada, the prime minister called a meeting of federal leaders. Ms. May, Mr. Blanchet, and Mr. Singh all later told reporters they supported the idea of working together to counter the threat. Mr. Poilievre used the media interview after the meeting to attack Mr. Trudeau.

Mr. Poilievre’s unchanging approach, for 20 years, has been venomous, vitriolic, and vituperative, but most disturbingly, he can not change. That, alone, makes him unfit. Also, he consistently relies on conflict, firstly, to gain the support of those who want a government of anger and of grievance, and, secondly, to isolate those who understand the inherent failure of governance based on conflict, anger, grievance. He is not so much running for public office, but, rather, is consumed by and desperate for vengeance. A statesman has none of the above attributes.

Gregory R. Côté, Irvine

One response to “Unfit to be prime minister”

1. Fedup Conservative says:

   February 23, 2025 at 3:02 PM

   The conservative MLAs I got to know when Lougheed’s energy minister Bill Dickie was a brother in-law of one my uncles taught me to never trust a Reformer. They deliberately destroy jobs and not create them , like Smith has been doing, even wanting to kick out the RCMP and destroy their jobs. They are hellbent on destroying everything our conservative heroes created for the good of the people and don’t care who gets hurt in the process.
   That’s exactly what Poilievre is promising to do. Destroy the Carbon Tax, created by Conservatives, that is helping people receive funds who desperately need it and the CBC once again created by Conservatives to help create jobs and give remote areas of Canada a connection to the outside world and it’s still needed today, but like all Reformers he doesn’t care who gets hurt in the process. It’s all about filling their own pockets and those of their friends with taxpayers money and who cares about giving the people a proper health care or education system and funding our municipalities properly. They don’t care, do they?

   Log in to Reply