MOOSE JAW — While the resignation of Prime Minister Justin Trudeau is good news, Moose Jaw’s MP says, the Conservative Party of Canada (CPC) is now focused on the future and becoming the country’s governing party.
“I think there is some relief he’s gone, but … our party is focused on the next election,” said Fraser Tolmie, member of Parliament for the Moose Jaw-Lake Centre-Lanigan constituency.
“We’re going to be ready to campaign because this is a signal that even the Liberals didn’t want him as their leader and we don’t want him as our prime minister,” he continued. “We want Pierre Poilievre as our prime minister.”
Tolmie had hoped that Trudeau would also call an election when he announced his resignation on Jan. 6 and run on his record and defend the policies he’d implemented during the past nine years.
While “a great majority” of Liberal policies have put Canada “into a tailspin,” the Saskatchewan MP singled out the carbon tax as being one of the most devastating for almost everyone. It has been particularly bad for farmers and food-transporting truckers since they have had to pass on those extra costs to consumers.
Moreover, the Liberals have downloaded the carbon tax onto other groups like school divisions and hospitals and failed to provide rebates as promised, Tolmie continued. Meanwhile, municipalities have been forced to raise taxes because of the carbon tax, while this policy has boosted inflation and reduced Canadians’ purchasing power.
“Further, we’ve seen the devastating economic impacts of this government with food banks. Moose Jaw almost had a closure this (past) summer because of the lower donations because people have less to give,” he said. “And, the costs of food have gone up astronomically … .
“So, this government needs to go — it’s time for a new one,” the MP added. “We need to have an election, and the Conservative Party of Canada is ready to govern and bring some common sense back to this country.”
Tolmie believes it was Trudeau’s ego that prevented him from resigning months or years earlier, even though some of his activities and actions allegedly broke the law during his nine years in power.
While the Liberals are facing challenges because of Trudeau’s resignation, the Saskatchewan MP didn’t believe that it was his — or the Conservative’s — responsibility to extinguish that “dumpster fire.” Instead, the CPC is focused on putting the country back on track and ensuring people keep more of their paycheques, save money and pay their mortgages.
“Every single person that sits across the aisle from us has voted in favour of Trudeau’s policies. They are all to blame — even the NDP,” said Tolmie. “The NDP have propped up this government, have supported them (and) have had a devastating impact on the Canadian economy — the working class — so it’s time to have an election and a better future for this country.”
Besides announcing his resignation, the prime minister also said that he was proroguing parliament until March — it should have resumed in late January — so his party could find a new leader.
Tolmie thought that this move bought the Liberals some time, but overall, didn’t think it mattered since the CPC was more focused on winning the upcoming election than who the new leader is.
