NDP, Tory leaders represent different visions for Canada's future

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OTTAWA — One thing Pierre Polievre and Jagmeet Singh had in common Thursday was their timing.

Canada's federal Conservative and NDP leaders have separately but simultaneously expressed their views on how to defeat Prime Minister Justin Trudeau.

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As each took aim at Trudeau's record and united the party in now-familiar steps, only one spent time attacking the other.

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Singh – speaking at the NDP's annual Progress Summit – said that while Trudeau has failed to improve the lives of middle-class Canadians, the Conservative alternative will not fare much better.

“Everyone in this room knows that Pierre Poillevre will make things worse,” he said.

Singh named Poilevre at least four times, reneged on promises to help the working class and pointed out that there is no coherent, meaningful plan to tackle climate change.

“Pierre Polievre doesn't care about working families,” Singh said. “He doesn't care about working class people.”

Opinion polls show that Poillevre's message of accessibility resonated with voters, particularly those aged 35 and under, as well as those who identify as working-class Canadians – two demographics that have been an important source of support for the NDP.

Under Polievre, the Conservatives have aggressively targeted NDP ridings, particularly vulnerable ridings in British Columbia and northern Ontario.

Poilevre left that tactic at the door of the annual Canada Strong and Free Network conference, completely ignoring his NDP counterpart.

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Instead, Polievre joined former Bank of Canada governor Mark Carney in calling Trudeau's potential successor a “Carbon Tax Carney” for his support of Liberal policies.

Polievre also took aim at Trudeau's credentials as a Liberal, describing himself as a “well-meaning” alternative that Canadians need to reduce the cost of living and crime.

Trudeau's late father, former prime minister Pierre Elliott Trudeau, once told the state that nations have no place in their bedrooms, Poilevre said.

“Now that great government wants to be in every room of your house,” he said.

“And your business, your wallet, your bank account and your internet account – it always wants to be everywhere. The problem is that Justin Trudeau is not too liberal. He is not liberal at all; he is deeply, deeply not a liberal.'

New Brunswick Premier Blaine Higgs used similar language during a fireside chat earlier in the day, where he discussed becoming the first premier to lead the charge to require teachers to get parental consent before using student-choice pronouns.

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Such demands have been raised in recent years among conservative and right-wing groups in the United States and Canada, but Higgs was the first Canadian leader to enter the debate on “parental rights.”

The term refers to a widespread concern among parents about what children learn about LGBTQ+ issues in schools — often fueled by misinformation and outright bigotry, some say.

Higgs said he never expected his policy changes to prompt other Conservative premiers like his colleagues in Alberta and Saskatchewan to make similar moves.

“We've certainly talked among colleagues,” Higgs said.

“In these discussions, I thought it was going to become a national thing? No, it wasn't a discussion.”

New Brunswick last year became the first province in Canada to introduce the rule for students under 16, sparking opposition from the LGBTQ+ community, doctors and the province's child advocate, who warned it could put vulnerable children at risk.

Higgs, who has been prime minister since 2018, is facing an election this year, a fight complicated by a caucus revolt over changes to her gender policy.

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He said the week he made those changes, he and his wife of more than 40 years said, “This could be the issue that keeps us in government or gets us out.”

Poilevre made no mention of gender issues in Thursday's speech, suggesting the Conservatives want to focus on affordability and housing rather than lead on culture-war issues.

Avoiding these issues has not always been easy, however, thanks to provincial conservatives who have brought them to the fore.

Polievre believes minors should not have access to puberty blockers and believes transgender athletes should be banned from women's sports and locker rooms.

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