REGINA — The Pierre Poilievre campaign for Conservative leader is now headed east to Manitoba after a two-day swing across Saskatchewan.
The Saskatchewan tour wrapped up with a rally in the lower level of the Atlas Hotel in Regina, where Poilievre spoke and held a meet and greet before a packed meeting room of supporters.
Meanwhile, in another room across the hall a “voting station” was set up by the Poilievre campaign, where Conservative members at the event could go to fill out and send off their ballots in the leadership race.
The Poilievre campaign had voting stations set up throughout their Saskatchewan tour during stops in Battleford, Prince Albert and Saskatoon, as they try to get out the vote in the contest’s final days. The campaign also stopped in the Weyburn and Estevan areas before heading to Regina.
This marked the third tour by the Poilievre campaign across the province since the campaign began and the indication from the campaign was this would likely be their last trip to Saskatchewan with just a month left before results are announced Sept. 10.
The Wednesday evening rally in Regina was up against formidable competition, as the Conservative leadership election committee had set up another official debate in Ottawa. Only three candidates — Jean Charest, Scott Aitchison and Roman Baber — showed up, despite warnings by the party that those candidates not participating in the “mandatory” debate would be hit with $50,000 fines.
Poilievre did not seem bothered in the least about skipping out on the Ottawa debate. The candidate told the hall packed with supporters, and those watching on the Facebook livestream of his event, that he would rather be in Regina anyway.
“There’s no place I’d rather be right now,” Poilievre said in his opening remarks. “I’m told that I could have, instead of being here with all of you in Saskatchewan, I could have been cooped up in a little hotel room around a small table listening to a defeated Liberal premier (Jean Charest) drone on about his latest carbon tax idea.”
Poilievre further ridiculed the Ottawa debate by saying “it looks like they’re playing a little game of cards, except there are no cards. I’d rather be out here talking to real people.”
Poilievre gave a speech hitting on all of his usual freedom-oriented campaign themes including opposing the carbon tax, support for the energy sector, addressing affordability issues, support for free speech and against Bill C-11, and removing the “gatekeepers.” There was plenty of criticism of Prime Minister Justin Trudeau and his policies, with Poilievre roasting Trudeau for burning fuel to jet to Costa Rica on vacation.
The candidate also pointed out his own connections to the West and family connections to Saskatchewan.
Poilievre then sat down with Andrew Scheer, former Conservative leader and MP for Regina Qu’Appelle, to take emailed questions sent in from across the country. During that Q and A, Poilievre pledged to scrap the ArriveCAN app used by Canadians to cross the border, and also reiterated he would defund the CBC.
After his remarks concluded, Poilievre then held a meet and greet with a long lineup of supporters.
In terms of size, the Poilievre rally was not on the large scale seen at some other venues across Canada that drew thousands of people. But it still looked to be a larger audience than the sizeable one Leslyn Lewis drew last week in Regina, when her event filled a meeting room at the Sandman Hotel.
Next up for the Poilievre campaign is a campaign swing through Manitoba, with an event in Brandon on Thursday.
