Poilievre’s vow sparks new party tensions
Finance critic booted after criticizing pledge to fire bank governor
Conservative leadership candidate Pierre Poilievre’s promise to fire the governor of the Bank of Canada divided the Tory caucus Wednesday as concerns grow about the future of the party after its contentious leadership race comes to an end.
The party’s finance critic, Ed Fast, was booted from his role after telling reporters earlier Wednesday morning he was “deeply troubled” by a promise to fire Tiff Macklem if Poilievre became prime minister, thus interfering with the independence of the central bank.
Poilievre’s pledge puts the party’s credibility at risk, the former Conservative cabinet minister also said.
“It is fair to ask questions, to demand solutions to the skyrocketing cost of living,” Fast said. “But we also have to respect the institutions that have been granted independence, to ensure that they function apart from political interference, and that’s my big concern.”
Fast is co-chair of former Quebec premier Jean Charest’s Tory leadership campaign, but made it clear he was speaking Wednesday in his capacity as finance critic.
That he was seen as using his position to speak out against Poilievre sparked a furious exchange inside caucus and late Wednesday, the party’s interim leader, Candice Bergen, said in a statement he would leave the post.
“Ed has publicly stated his support for one of the Conservative party of Canada’s leadership candidates and would like to be able to offer more dedicated support to that team,” the statement said.
Fast took over as finance critic from Poilievre after the seven-term Ottawa MP launched his leadership bid in February.
Fast also held the role after thenleader Erin O’Toole shuffled Poilievre out of the finance critic post early in 2021. That was a surprise demotion for Poilievre, who had been a fierce and prominent critic of former finance minister Bill Morneau.
Sources told the Star that what prompted that shuffle was a concern similar to the issue that some Conservatives are raising with Poilievre now — his economic rhetoric. He was pushed out after a social media campaign he was running at the time — to “stop the great reset,” which was seen as echoing a conspiracy theory about the World Economic Forum plotting a global takeover — was perceived as a political liability for the Conservatives.
But in a bid to keep the peace within the party after the bruising O’Toole took in the 2021 election, Poilievre was reappointed.
Since then, he’s been unsparing in his criticism of the Liberal government’s fiscal approach. His call to fire Macklem stems from his stated belief that inflation has soared because of a bond-buying program initiated by the Bank of Canada to support billions of dollars in pandemic spending by the federal government.
The central theme of Poilievre’s campaign is a promise to remove the “gatekeepers” he blames for the rising cost of living, and he has brushed off critics of his approach as out-of-touch elites.
Marilyn Gladu, an Ontario MP and Poilievre supporter, reiterated that view Wednesday.
“The more the Liberal media gets excited and upset about Pierre Poilievre, the more I know that they’re worried he’s going to win,” she said.
Poilievre is the presumed frontrunner in the leadership contest. Among the six contenders, he also has the most MPs in his corner. That support is complicated. Several MPs have privately told the Star their support reflects a demand from their ridings, the grassroots members who help MPs raise funds and get elected, and who see in Poilievre a champion for the Conservative cause.
But some of those same MPs also say that personally, they wish Poilievre would — in the words of one — “tone down the Bank of Canada stuff.”
Aside from the risk of undermining the bank’s independence, some cite the historic conservative respect for institutions. Others worry the anti-establishment vote Poilievre is courting will scare off centrist voters, especially as it relates to his support for the so-called “Freedom Convoy.”
Although Poilievre has disavowed racist and threatening behaviour by some convoy participants, his backers know the Liberals will weaponize his broader support of the movement nonetheless.
Those who don’t support Poilievre are candid about their aversion, calling for efforts to elect “anyone but Poilievre” to the top job.
“I’d rather have four more years of Justin Trudeau than a prime minister Poilievre,” said one longtime operative, who is not involved in any leadership campaign but was granted anonymity because of their work in the private sector.
But Poilievre is not the only leadership candidate who has MPs concerned.
Brampton Mayor Patrick Brown has reputational troubles of his own, even as his campaign also signs up thousands of new party members. The former Ontario PC leader’s checkered past — which includes questions about a loan from a party candidate and allegations of sexual impropriety, which Brown denies — makes some MPs visibly cringe as they contemplate the possibility he could win, although he does have some support.
Meanwhile, Charest has the support of numerous Quebec MPs, but his relationship with the western flank of the party is tenuous. In addition to a rocky relationship with former Conservative leader Stephen Harper, he supported a gun registry in Quebec and carbon pricing, two toxic issues on the Prairies.
Fears are also voiced about Leslyn Lewis, the rookie MP making her second run for leadership on the strength of her social conservative convictions. Her desire to regulate abortion is seen as a total non-starter by many Conservative caucus members.
A victory by any of those four could see a slew of incumbent MPs publicly quit or quietly just choose not to seek re-election, a move that’s not entirely abnormal after a party leadership race.
But there are also fears that entire factions of the party could break away to form their own groups, in a repeat of the Progressive Conservative-Reform split of the late 1990s, a number of Conservatives have told the Star.
Scott Aitchison, the two-term MP for Parry Sound—Muskoka, and Independent MPP Roman Baber are also on the ballot.
Surveying the leadership landscape, Tory MPs routinely use phrases like “dumpster fire” and private conversations about the race are growing heated. At the heart of them are concerns that none of the candidates will be able to quickly mop up blood spilled on the campaign trail.
But as Gérard Deltell, one of the party’s Quebec elder statesmen, noted, the choice is ultimately up to party members.
“We will live with the new leader,” Deltell said, “and we will try to do our best.”