Conservative leader Pierre Poilievre toured the Courtenay Motorsports facility on Friday (April 5), providing a chance for local journalists to conduct a short one-on-one interview. Our interview is seen below.
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The number-one issue for Courtenay residents is homelessness. How would Canadians, people in B.C. see a change in homelessness with a leadership change to the conservatives?
“After eight years of Trudeau and the NDP, housing costs have doubled, rent has doubled, mortgage payments have doubled, and this has forced a massive, never before seen homelessness crisis with tent cities that were unheard of before this government.
“There are two things we need to do, one is build the homes. That means requiring cities to permit 15 per cent more home building per year as a condition of getting federal funds. That will speed them up and get the bureaucracy out of the way so builders can build. Second, we will ban hard drugs. Stop the tax-funded distribution of drugs and instead give people treatment and recovery services to bring them home drug-free.”
There would be three months left in the drug decriminalization exemption in B.C. after the next election. Would you put an end to this?
“Yes.”
For the everyday lives of B.C. residents, how would they feel an impact of the change in federal leadership?
“We would go from a costly coalition of Trudeau and the NDP which has taxed your food, punished your work, taken your money, doubled your housing cost and unleashed crime and chaos in your community to a common sense conservative government that would axe the tax, build the homes, fix the budget and stop the crime.”
How would changing leadership to the Conservatives change the political culture in Canada?
“It will be common sense. No more woke. We will celebrate our history, we will restore freedom of speech, we will allow people to be proud again, we will honour our traditions and treat our citizens with respect. (In relation to the military) we’re going to end the woke culture and we’re going to bring back a warrior culture.”
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