Poilievre says PM Carney lacks mandate, “installed by Liberal establishment”

Conservative Leader Pierre Poilievre dismissed the legitimacy of the Liberal leadership race, arguing that Mark Carney lacks a democratic mandate after being sworn in as Canada’s 24th prime minister o

Source: Pierre Poilievre/YT

Conservative Leader Pierre Poilievre dismissed the legitimacy of the Liberal leadership race, arguing that Mark Carney lacks a democratic mandate after being sworn in as Canada’s 24th prime minister on Friday.

During a recent press conference, Poilievre was asked about voter turnout in the Liberal leadership race, where only 151,899 Liberals voted for four candidates.

Poilievre explained that he believes Carney had no mandate since he was not elected by the Canadian people, and that the Liberal leadership vote turnout was low.

Carney was “installed by the Liberal establishment and Justin Trudeau’s insiders,” said Poilievre.

He also attacked Carney’s lack of media availability; “They have been hiding from the media because every time he answers questions, he gets caught in lies or says incredibly idiotic things”.

As for the Liberal leadership result, Poilievre argued that the low turnout reflected Canadians' lack of enthusiasm for Carney.

“Those numbers are either just pathetically low because Canadians did not want to vote for a weak, conflicted Mark Carney who had sold out the country by moving money and jobs out of Canada, or they show something more suspicious.”

Poilievre celebrated his own leadership victory, pointing out that the Conservative party boasted a membership of over 670,000, with nearly 300,000 voting for him on the first ballot, giving him 70 per cent of the vote.

He claimed this was the largest number of votes ever received by a leadership candidate in Canadian history.

Carney has also never held an elected office prior to becoming prime minister.

Carney’s new featured many familiar faces fromTrudeau’s previous cabinet, opting for a smaller 20 person team, rather than Trudeau’s historically bloated 37 member cabinet.

Some of the same ministers remain in key positions, including Bill Blair as Defence Minister, Jonathan Wilkinson in Energy and Natural Resources, and failed leadership candidate; Chrystia Freeland as Minister of Transport and Internal Trade.

Carney’s path to Prime Minister resembles both John Turner in 1984 and Kim Campbell in 1993, both of whom became prime minister without an electoral mandate.

Turner’s Liberals were defeated by Brian Mulroney’s Progressive Conservatives in a historic landslide, winning only 40 seats to Mulroney’s 211.

Mulroney eventually left Kim Campbell in charge of the Progressive Conservative party which was reduced to just two seats in the 1993 election at the hands of former Liberal leader Jean Chretien, marking one of the worst defeats in Canadian history.

As speculation mounts over a potential early election call, Poilievre signalled his party’s readiness to challenge the rebranded Liberal government.

“Canadians will have their say soon,” he said. “And when they do, they’ll vote to take back control of their country.”