Pierre Poilievre was supposed to speak in the Comox Valley a few weeks ago but cancelled when wildfires broke out across British Columbia.
But the Conservative Party leader is back speaking with supporters in Black Creek Tuesday evening.
Poilievre is eyeing the North Island-Powell River riding as one he can snatch back from the NDP, which has held the riding since Conservative John Duncan was defeated by the NDP’s Rachel Blaney in 2015.
“I want people in all regions to feel important in this country,” Poilievre told CHEK News in Nanaimo.
“These are the communities the NDP has abandoned and that Trudeau looks down on.”
Poilievre is making a quick stop on the Island Tuesday, delivering the same talking points he’s used before about affordability and crime.
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“I want to bring home lower prices by axing the carbon tax and ending the inflationary deficits, to bring down inflation and interest rates, rewarding work with lower income tax,” he said.
“I will bring in jail and not bail for repeat violent offenders so that they stay behind bars and they can’t come out and re-offend.”
And he says he wants Conservative candidates on the Island who share these same views.
“I want common sense candidates who can help me incentivize more home building so we can build homes that British Columbians can afford,” Poilievre said.
Political experts say there’s a really good reason Poilievre has his sights set on B.C.
“B.C. is a province where I think the polls show he’s got potential to double the number of seats if there was an election in the near short term,” said University of Victoria professor Michael Prince.
“They could go from the 13 seats that they currently hold in B.C. to maybe 26 or 27, so why wouldn’t you come here?” he added.
“He could pick up quite a number of seats.”
Dean Stoltz
