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GUNTER: Poilievre's newfound tough stance on Trump likely too little, too late

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Is it too late for Pierre Poilievre?

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The Conservative leader gave an impressive speech this past week to the Economic Club of Canada in Toronto in which he laid out a Conservative strategy for dealing with the erratic and very anti-Canadian U.S President Donald Trump.

GUNTER: Poilievre's newfound tough stance on Trump likely too little, too late Back to video

“Canada cannot control the decisions of foreign presidents,” Poilievre said. “But we can control the strength of our own country. We can control whether our economy is solid or fragile.”

There was a very good examples this week about having the power within our own hands to control our economy. A shipment of liquified natural gas arrived in New Brunswick from Australia, a journey of 26,000 kilometres, brought by a company that also made shipments to Turkey and Chile in the past month.

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Canada is incapable of doing the same because former Prime Minister Justin Trudeau insisted there was “no business case” for an LNG pipeline to or terminal in the Maritimes. And current Liberal PM Mark Carney seems destined to reinforce Trudeau’s “green” ignorance rather than risk seats in Quebec by pushing through an unpopular pipeline.

I had two thoughts while watching Poilievre’s speech: Where was this gumption a year ago, even a month ago? And, did Poilievre’s Toronto speech distinguish him enough from Carney’s Davos speech in Switzerland in January?

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Ever since Trump’s return to office a year ago, Poilievre has remained silent about the U.S. president and let the Liberals define his intentions. This has left the impression that the Conservative leader agrees with Trump, or at least is soft on Trump and would not stand up to him and his tariffs and other bully tactics.

The job of opposing Trump has been left to Carney and Ontario Premier Doug Ford. It’s hard to know whether Carney’s “elbows up” approach and Ford’s Captain Canada schtick have gotten our nation anywhere with the White House. I suspect they have not. But at least both men have visibly and vocally made their feelings and their pride in Canada clear.

For the better part of a year, it has been hard to know where Poilievre stood on Trump. He even let one of his MPs, Jamil Jivani, go to D.C. recently and make nice-nice with senior Trump officials, then return to Canada and claim Canadians attitudes toward Trump amounted to a “hissy fit.”

Poilievre didn’t even include a reference to Trump and what he would do to combat him during the Conservative leader’s major address to his party’s convention in Calgary in late January.

Now, after keeping  silent, all of a sudden Poilievre gives the kind of speech he should have been giving for a year, especially during last spring’s election, and while the contents are solid, the timing leaves the impression that, desperate to save his party and his job, Poilievre has finally developed some spine.

Poilievre spoke the truth a number of times in his address, such as his insistence that trade with China is no substitute for trade with the U.S.

And he took time (in language much clearer than Carney’s) to explain many of the things Trump gets upside down and backwards about trade. For instance, “Our trade surplus does not represent exploitation by Canada of the United States of America … it is the result of us selling very good and very well-priced … raw materials which America then upgrades and turns into massive profits for its economy.”

But coming after Poilievre’s own personal popularity has tanked and is now pulling down his party’s poll standings, it looks like a Hail Mary.

To a casual observer (i.e. most voters) Poilievre’s Toronto speech will not distinguish him enough from Carney and Carney admired Davos speech.

If I had to place a bet right now, I would say enough voters have made up their minds about Carney and Poilievre to ensure a comfortable majority for the Liberals in a snap election.

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SIMMONS SUNDAY: If Keith Pelley doesn’t believe in Brad Treliving to fix the Maple Leafs, what is he waiting for? Sports

SIMMONS SUNDAY: If Keith Pelley doesn’t believe in Brad Treliving to fix the Maple Leafs, what is he waiting for?

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