Poilievre wraps up northern Ont. tour in North Bay

Federal Conservative leader Pierre Poilivere wrapped up his northern Ontario tour Friday night with one last stop – this time in North Bay, speaking to a few hundred supporters packed inside the Best Western Hotel’s conference room on Lakeshore Drive.

About 300 supporters packed the Best Western Hotel conference room in North Bay to hear Pierre Poilivere speak about his plans for Canada’s future. (Eric Taschner/CTV News Northern Ontario)Poilievre was in northern Ontario all week – since Wednesday he has visited four major northeastern cities: North Bay, Sudbury, Timmins and Sault Ste. Marie for his ‘Axe The Tax’ rally, based on his contempt for the federal price on carbon.

“It’s great to be among the hardworking people of northern Ontario,” he said about his tour.

For about an hour, he spoke to a roaring crowd of supporters about many issues Canadians currently face, including: inflation, crime, opioids and other drugs, as well as lack of housing and affordable housing.

Poilievre, who has campaigned vigorously against carbon pricing for years and plans to scrap it if he is elected prime minister, accused the government of misleading Canadians about the cost it has on family budgets.

Steven Guilbeault, Canada’s Minister of Environment and Climate Change, argues putting a carbon tax in place is one of the most widely used and effective ways to fight climate change while noting it will make fossil fuels more expensive and make alternatives less expensive.

“It starts by bringing home lower prices,” said Poilievre.

“We have a common sense plan for that.”

To get shovels in the ground to get houses built, he promised to claw back municipal infrastructure grants if cities and towns don't permit 15 per cent more builds per year.

“We'll pay based on performance. We'll pay based on housing completion,” he said.

“That is keys in doors and families in homes. I will pay the municipalities their infrastructure budget based on housing completion. Then they will know their budget depends on building more.”

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Speaking on firearm regulations, Poilievre and some firearm advocates argue Bill C-21, the federal Liberal government's gun control legislation which passed the House of Commons in April, targets any commonly used hunting rifles and shotguns.

The bill includes:

• Tightening gun laws to include "red flag" and "yellow flag" provisions related to a gun owner posing a risk to themselves or others;
• Imposing a "freeze" on the sale, purchase or transfer of handguns in Canada;
• Including other increased offences related to certain firearm-related offences.
• A prospective Criminal Code "technical definition" of what constitutes a prohibited assault-style firearm, meant to "cement in law" a permanent ban on future models once the bill comes into force;
• A series of provisions meant to make it illegal to make or buy ghost guns;
• Wording making clear the government's intent to uphold Indigenous treaty rights; and
• A requirement for a parliamentary review of the technical definition five years after it comes into effect.

Poilievre received loud cheers and claps when he promised to end the “gun grab” and support “law-abiding sport-shooters, duck hunters and Indigenous people.”

Reading off latest statistics from Statistics Canada, he argued the bill is doing the exact opposite when it comes to protecting Canadians from crime involving guns.

“As though that’s the cause of crime in this country,” he said.

“Violent gun crime is up 101 per cent. How is that working out?”

He offered a different idea, instead using federal funding to bolster the Canadian border to keep illegal guns and drugs from coming into the country.

The federal riding of Nipissing-Timiskaming, where North Bay is located, has generally been under Liberal control. In 2011, however, it flipped to the Conservatives in an extremely narrow Tory victory.

In total, Poilievre made seven campaign stops in the northern part of the province.