Close X
Sunday, November 10, 2024
ADVT 
National

Labour leader urges unions to expose Poilievre's working-class overtures as 'fraud'

Darpan News Desk The Canadian Press, 18 Apr, 2024 11:33 AM
  • Labour leader urges unions to expose Poilievre's working-class overtures as 'fraud'

Conservative Leader Pierre Poilievre is a "fraud" for portraying himself as a friend of the working class, the head of the country's largest labour organization said Thursday, urging unions to do everything they can to expose him before the next federal election. 

Canadian Labour Congress President Bea Bruske delivered her call to arms as union leaders gathered in Ottawa to plot strategy ahead of the vote, which must happen before October 2025. 

"We must do everything in our power to expose Mr. Pierre Poilievre for the fraud that he is," Bruske said. 

"We must be under no illusions." 

Canada's three main political parties are already battling for blue-collar votes: both NDP Leader Jagmeet Singh and Prime Minister Justin Trudeau were to address the meeting later Thursday. 

The speeches come days after the Liberals tabled a federal budget that increases taxes on the wealthy and includes funding for NDP priorities like pharmacare and dental care. 

Poilievre was not invited to speak at the gathering. 

While polls suggest Poilievre's affordability message is resonating with both private and public-sector workers, Bruske said his history of supporting back-to-work legislation and advocating for employees to be allowed to opt out of unions and makes him hostile to labour.

"Whatever he claims today, Mr. Poilievre has a consistent 20-year record as an anti-worker politician and I ask you, have you ever, ever, anywhere in Canada see him walk a picket line," she said. 

New Democrats have said much the same about the Conservative leader. 

For his part, Poilievre has said spent the past two years criss-crossing the country, pitching himself as the leader who understands the pain and anxieties working-class Canadians feel in the current affordability crisis. 

Poilievre likes to note he's spoken to more local unions and workers on factory floors than he has to corporate business crowds. Under his leadership, the Conservatives also voted to support a bill seeking to ban federally regulated workplaces from using replacement workers during strikes or lockouts, a significant shift for the Tories.

Since becoming leader, Poilievre has also resisted calling on Trudeau for back-to-work legislation in response to labour disputes, including the strike that saw thousands of public servants hit the picket lines last spring. 

He has taken his vow to "axe" the federal carbon price on fuel to NDP-held ridings across British Columbia, including on Vancouver Island, and to northern Ontario, where the Liberals also hold seats. 

When asked why Poilievre's message seems to be resonating among workers, Bruske said union leaders are aware of the anxieties workers face. 

"We well understand the frustration and the fear of about the future of their jobs and the fear of being able to make end's meet," she said.

But "politicians who offer simplistic answers without actually providing a real strategy on how they're going to achieve what workers need are not politicians that we can count on." 

Trudeau routinely chides Poilievre for drumming up support by promising simple fixes to complicated problems, like the lack of housing supply. 

Liberals are also frustrated that Poilievre has blamed their signature climate policy, the consumer carbon levy, for driving up costs. 

They deny his claims, insisting that the government's quarterly rebate payments are ensuring most Canadians are getting back more than they pay under the carbon price. 

MORE National ARTICLES

Surrey fire deemed suspicious

Surrey fire deemed suspicious
Mounties say they responded to a call around 7 p-m on Sunday to the complex in the 13300 block of 103 avenue, and firefighters were already on scene evacuating the building.  Police say anyone who may have witnessed any suspicious activity should contact the Surrey RCMP.

Surrey fire deemed suspicious

Ex-Calgary mayor Naheed Nenshi joins NDP leadership race to combat "immoral" UCP

Ex-Calgary mayor Naheed Nenshi joins NDP leadership race to combat
Former Calgary mayor Naheed Nenshi came out of political retirement on Monday, announcing a run for Alberta's NDP leadership to challenge what he termed an “immoral” United Conservative government. Nenshi, 52, was elected mayor of Calgary in 2010 and won three terms before deciding to bow out before the 2021 municipal election.

Ex-Calgary mayor Naheed Nenshi joins NDP leadership race to combat "immoral" UCP

Stung by criticism, Ottawa to give $1M to support victims of sexual violence by Hamas

Stung by criticism, Ottawa to give $1M to support victims of sexual violence by Hamas
Ottawa has not said which groups will receive the $1 million, nor when. Canada is also offering RCMP support for investigations, though it's unclear whether Israeli officials have made any specific request. Joly announced the measures on the platform X, formerly known as Twitter, on Monday, saying the funding is for "organizations who are supporting survivors of sexual violence committed by Hamas."

Stung by criticism, Ottawa to give $1M to support victims of sexual violence by Hamas

Surrey hospital to get critical care tower with acute, specialized services

Surrey hospital to get critical care tower with acute, specialized services
Premier David Eby says the B.C. government has plans underway to build a new critical care tower at Surrey Memorial Hospital, adding capacity for surgical, pediatric, perinatal, women's health, mental health and stroke care. Eby says Surrey's health-care services need to grow along with its population.  

Surrey hospital to get critical care tower with acute, specialized services

Most teens report feeling happy or peaceful when they go without smartphones, Pew survey finds

Most teens report feeling happy or peaceful when they go without smartphones, Pew survey finds
Nearly three-quarters of U.S. teens say they feel happy or peaceful when they don't have their phones with them, according to a new report from the Pew Research Center. In a survey published Monday, Pew also found that despite the positive associations with going phone-free, most teens have not limited their phone or social media use.   

Most teens report feeling happy or peaceful when they go without smartphones, Pew survey finds

B.C. begins offering in-province immunotherapy treatment for lymphoma, leukemia

B.C. begins offering in-province immunotherapy treatment for lymphoma, leukemia
British Columbia is beginning to offer an immunotherapy cancer treatment in the province for some patients who haven't had success with standard chemotherapy or radiation. Chimeric antigen receptor T-cell Therapy, commonly referred to as CAR-T, treats lymphoma and leukemia by collecting a patient's white blood cells and genetically engineering them to recognize and kill cancer cells.

B.C. begins offering in-province immunotherapy treatment for lymphoma, leukemia