THUNDER BAY — With rumours circulating that Prime Minister Justin Trudeau is set to announce a cabinet shuffle later this week, Conservative leader Pierre Poilievre decided to use that as an opportunity to suggest some changes.
Poilievre wrapped up his Monday visit to Northwestern Ontario with an evening rally at the Da Vinci Centre, after starting the day in Kenora where he held a lunchtime event.
The Official Opposition leader started off his Thunder Bay event by listing off a number of Liberal cabinet ministers in his crosshairs, including finance minister Chrystia Freeland, public safety minister Marco Mendicino and minister of addictions and mental health Carolyn Bennett, who, in Poilievre's words, needed to be "shuffled out."
Poilievre brought up a number of issues likely to get a favourable response in Northern Ontario, most notably a promise to repeal the Liberals' controversial gun control legislation as part of his "common sense" plan to address crime.
"Let's stop wasting money going after law abiding firearms owners," he said.
He proceeded to touch on a number of topics that often received a rousing response from the crowd of a couple hundred people, whether it's a pledge to cut the carbon tax, the emergence of "tent cities," or vowing to boycott the World Economic Forum.
Attempting to position himself as the country's next prime minister, many of Poilievre's central themes during his nearly 40-minute speech revolved around what he described as a government position of minding its own business, listing Bill C-47 and Bill C-11 as other pieces of legislation that he would repeal.
"I believe you have the wisdom to decide for yourselves," he said. "Some ask me if I can take power in the next election. My purpose is not to take power — it's to give it back.
Poilievre promised tighter spending, including a federal approach that any dollar of new spending in Ottawa would have to be offset by a dollar of savings. He also pledged to make federal infrastructure funding to municipalities contingent upon reaching housing development targets, and that post-secondary institutions must have freedom of expression and academic freedom provisions to be eligible for federal grants.
He also outlined plans to spur employment, pledging to build more housing, pipelines and resource development.
"We're going to remove all the restrictions that are unnecessary so we can harvest more timber and create more jobs for our forestry sector," he said. "We should be able to approve a mine in 18 months, rather than in 25 years, to unleash the production of the Ring of Fire."
Citing a shortage of workers across the country, Poilievre said all federal education and training grant programs would give "fair and equal treatment to the building trades," and referenced a Conservative private members' bill that would allow trades workers to write off costs of travelling to work elsewhere in the country.
"We don't have enough of the people who build stuff, fix stuff, and move stuff," he said.
Poilievre did not take questions from reporters, instead holding a meet-and-greet with supporters following his speech.
The Conservative leader remains in Thunder Bay on Tuesday.
