By Cecilia Nasmith
Saturday night's leadership race that secured Pierre Poilievre's place as leader of the Conservative Party of Canada was good news to Northumberland-Peterborough South MP Philip Lawrence.
Interviewed after the party's ouster of former leader Erin O'Toole in February, Lawrence declared – those many months ago – as an ardent Poilievre supporter.
“I believe in Poilievre's message of making life more affordable, reducing the size of government, stopping government from inflating the cost of everything,” he said this week.
“It's a great departure from the Liberal position – more government, more government.”
Lawrence was delighted by the great energy in the room as party members gathered for the vote in Ottawa Saturday night. Contrary to the previous two leadership races, this one just took a single ballot, with Poilievre winning 68.1% of the vote. Second-place finisher Jean Charest only got 16.07%. He was trailed by Leslyn Lewis with 9.69%, Roman Baber with 5.03% and Scott Aitchison with 1.06%.
With more than two years left in the Supply and Confidence Agreement that bound the NDP to support the minority Liberal government, Lawrence expects the Conservatives will have their own focus.
“Our plan is to get to work for Canadians, and put on the pressure when we see things that will hurt Canadians,” he said, mentioning Bill 11 (which will regulate on-line media services) and prospective increases in the carbon tax.
“We will fight for freedom from oppression,” Lawrence said.
“I think I can already see cracks, for lack of a better word, in the Supply and Confidence Agreement. But it's our job to fight for Canadians and not worry about that.
“It should be entertaining, the next little while, with Poilievre as a new leader and a great orator for Canada – I think he's the greatest orator Canada has seen in the last 50 years.”
