Promoted Pierre Poilievre says he’ll make Senate reform a top priority,
Ottawa MP one of eight new faces named to cabinet
Newly-appointed cabinet minister Pierre Poilievre knows Canadians are frustrated about the scandal-ridden Senate and will make change there a top priority as part of his new portfolio of democratic reform, he told the Citizen Monday.
The scrappy 34-year-old Ottawa MP said it was “an enormous privilege” to be one of eight new faces named to cabinet during Prime Minister Stephen Harper’s midterm shuffle.
“People are demanding action on this because they’re angry with the current Senate,” he said. “Hopefully we can find a way to make some changes so that this kind of outrage that we’ve witnessed won’t happen again.”
Whether Poilievre — known for answering questions with questions and spouting hyper-partisan Conservative talking points — is diplomatic enough for the job remains to be seen, said Ned Franks, an emeritus political science professor at Queen’s University.
“Poilievre functions very well as an aggressively partisan pro-government warrior,” Franks said. “The higher up the chain you go in the government side and dealing with Parliament, the more you have to see things from the other sides as well as the government side in order to accommodate the legitimate interests of the opposition.”
Franks suggested that hyper-partisanship can turn people off from politics — the opposite role of the minister responsible, in part, for engaging Canadians in politics.
“Poilievre is a pretty able, committed parliamentarian. I trust that he has enough flexibility to appreciate that it’s not just the government’s interests that are at stake in his new position,” Franks said.
Early in his career, Poilievre was denounced for his off-the-cuff remarks, including muttering the fword during a Commons committee meeting, using the controversial term “tar baby” and criticizing the work ethic of aboriginal people on the day that Harper made a historic apology on behalf of the government for residential schools.
Recently, Poilievre has taken a more scripted approach — drawing applause within his own ranks but criticism elsewhere for sticking too closely to talking points.
Poilievre has defended embattled Sen. Mike Duffy, who left the Conservative caucus this spring amid an expense controversy. When Harper’s chief of staff Nigel Wright was drawn into the scandal for handing Duffy a $90,000 personal cheque to reimburse his expenses, Poilievre called Wright’s actions “exceptionally honourable.” Wright resigned but Harper maintained that he was “acting in the public interest.”
Months later, Poilievre plans to “take some time” to delve deeper into the issues surrounding the Senate.
“We do believe in Senate reform — that includes term limits for senators, democratic selection of nominees and other issues for consideration,” Poilievre said. “That’s why we’ve deferred the matter to the Supreme Court to find out what powers we have to democratize the upper chamber.”
Born in Calgary, Poilievre became involved with the Reform Party as a teen and continued his involvement with the birth of the Conservative Party. He was first elected in Nepean–Carleton in 2004, beating former Liberal defence minister David Pratt. Poilievre held various parliamentary secretary positions before being appointed to cabinet.
Foreign Affairs Minister John Baird, whose Ottawa West–Nepean riding neighbours his own, will also maintain his post as the senior minister for the National Capital Region.
“That doesn’t change. I will continue to work with him to serve the people that we mutually represent in the area,” Poilievre said. “It means that our community will have a strong voice at the decision-making table.”