Poilievre makes his pitch as federal Conservative leadership candidate in St. John's

Targeting vaccine mandates and the rising cost of living, Ottawa member of ParliamentPierre Poilievrewas in St. John's on Monday evening to drum up support for his candidacy for the leadership offederal Conservative party.

About 500 people turned up at the Holiday Inn on Portugal Cove Road to hear what the Ottawa-area MPplans to do if he's elected leader of the partyandleads it to an election victory.

Among his plans: getting rid of COVID-19 vaccine mandates.

"Things haven't felt so free in this country lately, have they?"Poilievreasked the room. "People feel like they're losing control of their lives."

To address the rising cost of living, Poilievre said,he'd cutthe federal carbon tax andsell off "completely empty" federal government buildings to turn them into condominiums for young adults facing a tightening housing market.

He repeated a previous promise to fire the governor of the Bank of Canada for notkeeping inflation under control, a plan competing leadership candidate Jean Charest has called "irresponsibile." He also reiterated his agenda to end funding forthe Canadian Broadcasting Corporation.

"We can save a billion dollars by defunding the CBC," said Poilievre, with the crowd erupting into its loudest applause of the evening.

Poilievredid not take questions from the media after the event.

Former N.L. PC leader lends support

Among the supporters who turned out on Monday was former provincial Progressive Conservative leader Ches Crosbie, who introducedPoilievreto the room.

"I'm here to support a leader, a man who is bidding for leader for the Conservative Party of Canada, who stands for freedom and giving people back control of their lives," Crosbiesaidafter the event.

"This room of folks here sees it the same way."

Crosbie saidPoilievre's campaign isn't so much as a campaign as it is a movement, a reaction to what Crosbie said was a loss of "many freedoms" over the past two years.

"We've seen the furthering away of many freedoms in the last two years. But ever since [Prime Minister Justin] Trudeau got in, we've lost the freedom to develop our economic resources, for example," he said. "Our offshore, we're lucky to have Bay du Nord go ahead."

Others say they're just looking for a change.

Chris Campbell was in line to register as a member of Conservative Party after the event,a $15 fee thatgives him the opportunity to vote in the leadership race.

Campbell, an electrician,said he lost his business in Alberta during the pandemic because of shutdowns.

"I just want change, something different because this system doesn't work," he said.

Melanie Anstey, also in line to register for the party,said Poilievre's thoughts on rising inflation and how it's affecting young adults stood out to her the most.

"I'm 24 and it seems like the goals are getting farther away instead of closer," she said.

"That would probably be the best thing, is to help us get ahead, the working class."

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