Poilievre blasts Carney for lack of progress, mass immigration and crime

Conservative Leader Pierre Poilievre criticized Prime Minister Mark Carney, stating his government has achieved nothing since taking office five months ago.

Source: Facebook (Pierre Poilievre)

Conservative Leader Pierre Poilievre criticized Prime Minister Mark Carney, stating his government has achieved nothing since taking office five months ago. Poilievre blamed Carney for an out-of-control temporary resident program and a lack of safety in Canada.

During a Thursday press conference in Mississauga, Poilievre said Carney’s government had a “Seinfeld summer,” referencing a famous line from the series that it amounted to a big “show about nothing.”

He criticized Carney for increasing spending beyond former PM Justin Trudeau, doubling deficit spending, and failing to introduce a budget, despite promises to cut spending.

“He has done nothing. It has been a show about nothing in Mark Carney’s government, but unfortunately, it's been a horror show in our community, stories of little children being viciously and appallingly assaulted in their own home by burglars who are out on release,” Poilievre said. “Another horrific tragedy today that we just learned about, where innocent First Nations are the victims, and And horrendous case of a father losing his life coming to the defence of his children who witnessed his death.”

He said Liberal "catch and release" justice policies made the appalling acts commonplace.

“Even liberal mayors are turning on the Carney government and saying, What the hell is taking you so long? Our streets are being overtaken by gangsters and criminals,” Poilievre said.

He noted that Carney’s Liberal Justice Minister Sean Fraser responded to Poilievre’s calls for self-defence law reform by saying that “Canada isn’t the Wild West,” a comment denounced by the Durham Regional Police Association.

“Unfortunately, after 10 years of liberal laws, it is the wild west out there. People are feeling afraid. Seniors afraid to go inside, and parents are afraid to let their children play alone,” Poilievre said. “Canadians afraid their car might be stolen. Drugs are killing a record number of our people.”

During the press conference, as a preamble to a question from Rebel News journalist David Menzies, Poilievre was asked to respond to both Fraser’s comments and recent comments of York Regional Police Chief Jim MacSween. Following a slew of home invasions, MacSween told citizens faced with a home invader that the best defence was “to comply.”

“This could mean locking yourself in a room away from the perpetrators, hiding, fleeing the home. But don't engage unless absolutely necessary,” MacSween said during a press conference Wednesday, before reiterating that the York region remains a “safe area to live.”

“People have a right to defend their home. Your home is your castle. Someone comes into your house and threatens your family – you should have the right to take court against them to defend your family,” Poilievre said responding to the police chiefs comments. “That's what Conservatives propose with the Stand on Guard Act, and that is what we will fight for in this fall.”

Poilievre said Fraser should talk to the Farooqi family whose father died defending against a home invasion in Vaughan, that Canada “isn’t the Wild West,” and said the invader should have been in “the slammer.”

“Liberal laws turn criminals free on our streets again and again and again, the Liberals have known this for years police officers, mayors, community groups have been crying out for an end to the liberal catch and release criminal justice system,” Poilievre said. “And yet Mark Carney, who has been Prime Minister for five months now, decided to go on vacation before ever reversing those laws.”

He said Carney “made an even bigger mistake” in appointing Sean Fraser as justice minister, saying Fraser first "ruined" the immigration system as immigration minister under Trudeau, then "ruined" the housing market as housing minister.

"To give him a third chance to screw something up, Carney has put Sean Fraser in charge of this. It's no wonder crime is raging out of control. My message is we want to end the Wild West,” Poilievre said. “Lock up the criminals and throw away the keys. Three strikes, you're out. Do three violent offenses, you go to jail and you never get out.”

Poilievre also criticized Carney’s handling of the immigration file. Despite claiming to reduce the number of non-permanent residents in Canada from 7.3% to 5% of Canada’s population by 2027, Poilievre said Carney has again achieved “nothing.” He said Carney only brought in a record number of temporary foreign workers “to take the jobs of Canadians.”

Poilievre criticized Carney’s response when shutting down Poilievre’s request Wednesday to end the TFW program.

“What did he say? He said, oh he’s talked to business lobbyists, corporate lobbyists, and they assure him they would like to continue to bring in low-wage labour from poor countries,” Poilievre said. “Of course they would. Mr. Carney…Your corporate lobbyist friends and your other elites want to stuff their pockets by shutting hard-working Canadians out of jobs and giving those jobs to temporary foreign workers.”