Pierre Poilievre Returning To Finance Critic Role Is Great News

Canada needs an opposition that promotes a starkly different worldview than what the Liberals are pushing. Poilievre returning to the role of Finance Critic raises the odds of that happening.

When Pierre Poilievre was shuffled out of the Finance Critic role by Erin O’Toole, the move was widely panned by Conservatives across the country.

Poilievre has proven to be one of the best communicators for the party, able to discuss economic concepts at a high level while also linking those concepts to the everyday lived experiences of Canadians.

He has a large social media following, and has proven able to influence how the media covers events by relentlessly sharing his message.

Additionally, Poilievre has dared to talk about the danger of printing massive amounts of money, has pointed out the increasing politicization of the Bank of Canada (as they enable Trudeau & Freeland’s massive spending binge), and has stood up for the principle of Sound Money.

Poilievre has even been boosting the message of people like Michael Saylor (the head of the largest corporate holder of Bitcoin), demonstrating that he understands the importance of Bitcoin and cryptocurrency in an era when insulating ourselves from easily manipulated fiat currency is essential.

All of that is to say that Poilievre is successfully linking the core conservative principles of sound money and limited government to the problems facing Canadians today, particularly inflation and the rising cost-of-living.

Which is why his return to the Finance Critic role is great news.

In announcing his shadow cabinet, Erin O’Toole has moved Poilievre back into the high profile role, meaning Poilievre will face off directly with Chrystia Freeland.

The night before the announcement of Poilievre returning as Finance Critic, I wrote about how the CPC needs to push a message that is principled, and which differs dramatically from what the Liberals & NDP are offering:

“Combined, the Liberals & NDP won about 51% of the total popular vote, meaning a large portion of the public has bought into the big-government mindset.

Countering that will require courage and principled leadership, advocating for smaller government, more individual freedom, and sound money, even in the face of ‘unpopularity’ and inevitable attacks from the establishment press.”

Looking at the Tweets Poilievre has been making and retweeting recently, you can see that he is unafraid to challenge the establishment:

“When I say to truck drivers&mechanics that printing money causes inflation, they say, “obviously”.

When I say it to central bankers, media&other “experts”, they say, “that’s too simplistic”.

Verdict is in: truck drivers&mechanics are right while the big shots are wrong again.”

“Trudeau is selling debt to the Bank of Canada in the form of IOUs so he can keep handing out government cheques. Result: inflation b/c more dollars are chasing fewer goods, thereby making your Banknote with dollar sign worth less. And guess who will ultimately be paying for those IOUs?? (Hint: not JT)”

https://twitter.com/SarahFischer__/status/1458089139270819852

A real debate?

With Poilievre back in the Finance Critic role, Canada has the opportunity to witness a real debate about monetary policy & fiscal policy, the kind of debate that was largely absent from the 2021 campaign.

In that campaign, the CPC opted for the supposedly ‘safer’ route of aligning largely with the Liberals & NDP on deficit spending.

The CPC had promised to run deficits for another ten years, and were ramping up spending in the first two years of their hypothetical budget – above and beyond the already immense spending increases brought in by Trudeau & Freeland.

That would have fully entrenched big-government ideology in all the main parties, leaving fiscally conservative Canadians and small government advocates without representation in the House of Commons.

While there is clearly an internal fight going on in the CPC over the direction the party will take, Poilievre’s return as Finance Critic demonstrates that those who support limited government and sound money still have some sway and influence within the CPC.

Correcting a mistake

Previously removing Poilievre from the Finance Critic role was a mistake by Erin O’Toole, and to his credit, he has corrected that mistake.

If Poilievre is truly freed up to advocate for sound money and limited government, then the CPC will take a step towards truly presenting an alternative that brings some sanity back to the discussion of economic & monetary policy in this country.

Of course, issues surrounding O’Toole’s leadership won’t magically disappear, given that the flip on the carbon tax and guns has left much of the party base unable to trust the party leadership, and given that O’Toole has struggled to demonstrate the charisma to persuade the broader public.

With all of that in mind however, O’Toole returning Poilievre to the Finance Critic role was a smart move.

The overall CPC shadow cabinet looks decent, though leaving Leslyn Lewis out is unfortunate. Lewis represents the views of much of the base, and has a strong profile herself, and strong personalities willing to withstand criticism from the Liberals and the media is what the CPC needs if they are to truly push back against the statist agenda.

Step in the right direction

In recent years and months, it has felt as if the CPC has been surrendering on one issue after another to the Liberal/NDP narrative, while seeking to silence or downplay those within their party who really wanted to fight back.

Now, with Pierre Poilievre regaining the role he never should have lost, and being set to go up against Chrystia Freeland on a regular basis, more and more Canadians will have the opportunity to see how the policies of the Liberal government and the Bank of Canada are making inflation far worse.

This could lead to many people in this country seeing – for the first time – the importance of sound money and limited government, which holds the possibility of our nation turning back from the destructive big government policies that risk the impoverishment of our country.

All in all, Pierre Poilievre returning to the Finance Critic role is a good step in the right direction for Canada.

Spencer Fernando

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