Pierre Poilievre promises patriotism but stays vague about U.S. tariff threat

On the eve of Prime Minister Justin Trudeau’s meeting with premiers to tackle the threat of looming U.S. tariffs, Conservative Leader Pierre Poilievre was on the West Coast hosting a packed “axe the tax” rally. 

Poilievre’s speech Tuesday night to the large crowd at Dwight Hall in Powell River was heavy with patriotism but didn’t address how he’d tackle incoming U.S. president Donald Trump’s promise to impose a 25-per-cent tariff on Canadian goods. 

Poilievre did reassure his audience there was no chance Canada would become a 51st state, despite Trump's repeated suggestions. 

“My message to our American neighbours is we love you as neighbours and as friends, but do not allow our polite demeanour and our humble tone to confuse you,” Poilievre said. “We are deeply proud of our heritage as Canadians.” 

Direct mentions of “trade” by Poilievre were limited to the need to cut red tape for building permits to address the housing crisis and a promised infusion of cash for educating skilled workers. 

It’s not clear what message Poilievre has sent to Canada’s premiers on the tariff issue, but what was missing from his speech didn’t seem to matter to the enthusiastic audience in Powell River. 

People waited in two separate hour-long lineups that snaked around the venue in hopes of getting inside — where a standing-room crowd cheered on the Conservative leader with sweat beading on their foreheads.

The federal Conservative leader emphasized his plans for Canada’s energy and resource sectors but didn’t explicitly say how he’d advocate or protect them from punitive measures south of the border. 

Emphasizing the need to reduce the dependence of Canada’s oil and gas industry on exports to the U.S., Poilievre stressed the need to unleash the country’s vast resources and committed to speedily developing more markets for fossil fuels overseas. 

His government would ensure permits were issued quickly to build natural gas liquefaction (LNG) plants on the West Coast and reduce domestic dependence on foreign energy sources, such as importing oil from Saudi Arabia. However, he was silent on whether he’d curb crude oil imports from the U.S., the largest source for Canada at 72 per cent. 

Poilievre pointed to Canada’s colder weather as an energy saver for liquefying natural gas and its shorter shipping routes to Asia and Europe as an advantage over the United States, which dominates global LNG production and the export market. 

“We can get it there in half the time,” he said. “All we need are the permits to get it done.” 

Poilievre decried that all of Canada’s natural gas exports, and much of the country’s oil is sent to the United States at cut-rate prices. Natural gas heads south of the border via pipelines while crude oil, primarily from Alberta, also arrives by ship and rail. 

“We have to get every single ounce of that gas and almost all the oil we produce to the Americans, and they get it at a discount,” Poilievre said. 

“We sell our oil to the Americans for $15 below the oil price per barrel, because we have no one else to sell it to, and they know it,” he said, citing the U.S. rejection of the Keystone XL pipeline to get Alberta’s crude to the American Midwest, and the Trudeau government’s refusal to have the Northern Gateway pipeline transport Alberta’s diluted bitumen to Kitimat B.C., due to Indigenous opposition and fears about marine oil spills.  

“The Americans get all of our oil, and they get to make all the profit. Same with natural gas,” said Poilievre. 

He made no mention of any climate or emission-reductions measures to counterbalance the intent to grow the oil and gas sector — or whether he has any plans to grow or back Canada’s clean energy sector, such as expanding hydroelectricity, wind or solar power. 

Poilievre also did not address anticipated impacts to B.C.’s forestry sector if Trump makes good on his trade threats, despite the forestry-heavy economy of the Sunshine Coast, where the rally took place. 

Meanwhile, on Wednesday, Trudeau assembled premiers in Ottawa to craft a united plan of action to counter Trump’s punitive promises.

The tariff threat is inducing alarm and division among Conservative premiers, who typically act as a united front, about the correct tactical approach to the trade threat. 

Premiers of oil-producing provinces have been highlighting the U.S. energy dependence on Canada and gas price increases U.S. residents would suffer with tariffs. Alberta Premier Danielle Smith made a trip to Mar-a-Lago to personally deliver that message and try to build bridges with Trump. 

In 2023, fully 81 per cent of Canada’s crude oil production flowed south of the border, with Alberta contributing 85 per cent of that total, with a value of $124 billion and representing 16 per cent of Canada’s export earnings.

However, Ontario Premier Doug Ford, who is worried a trade war would decimate the province’s automotive sector, is leading the offensive, calling on Canada to cut off its energy supply south if tariffs go ahead — a measure that would pose a major economic blow to Alberta. 

The completion of the controversial Trans Mountain Expansion (TMX) pipeline with its terminal in B.C. has driven Alberta’s crude oil exports to the U.S. to an all-time high. And until West Coast LNG production and export projects come online, there is no other export market available for the province’s natural gas. However, the reverse is true for the U.S., which depends on Canada for 99 per cent of its natural gas imports, particularly in winter, along with 60 per cent of its oil. 

Smith did not endorse the joint statement issued by the prime minister and other premiers Wednesday. The document signalled it would work to meet U.S. demands that Canada beef up security on its borders, especially in the Arctic, and stem the flow of illicit drugs south. However, the document didn’t discount a “robust” response by Canada in the face of tariffs. 

Along with his energy promises, Poilievre’s speech reiterated his “Axe the Tax,” “Build the Homes,” “Fix the Budget,” and “Stop the Crime” mantras — promising a taxation task force to come up with major cuts in the first 100 days of his government.

Lauding the working class and slagging the Liberal and NDP’s ineffectual “socialist” policies, Poilievre alleged the Liberals were dividing people based on race and ethnicity and promoting a “woke culture.” 

Poilievre pledged free speech protections for those deemed “politically incorrect,” to stand up for the rights of parents and ban any federal ministers' involvement in the World Economic Forum. 

“We’ll stand up for the rights of parents to make their own decisions about what they teach their kids about sexuality and gender,” he said. 

“No longer will the global elite of powerful multinational corporations and multinational governmental bodies try to dictate what we think, what we put in our bodies, what we say,” Poilievre added. 

He also promised to solve the toxic drug crisis by expanding treatment and doing away with safe supply policies — which provide people with alternatives to poisonous street drugs. 

The crowd reserved its greatest applause for Poilievre’s message on pandemic mandates. 

“We will never again allow the horrible, nasty vaccine mandates that the government imposed,” he said. 

The federal Conservative leader wrapped his speech by pledging to rebuild the military and reassert Canada’s presence in the Arctic, characterizing Canada as a strong and free “people who lock arms and unite under one flag.”

With files from Canadian Press 

Rochelle Baker / Canada’s National Observer