ADAMS: The CPC Leadership Race Is A Joke

So I've been watching the Conservative Party of Canada leadership race like a hawk and all I gotta say is... yikes. There have been a few debates already, like the one at the Canada Strong and Free thing, and then a couple more after that, and it's just a whole mess.

There are a bunch of people running, but most of the attention is all on Carleton MP Pierre Poilievre. Gotta be real, I didn't even know who this guy was till last year when he tried to call out Jagmeet Singh for 'copying' his election slogan. Like, bro, calm down, no one owns words.

Anyway, this race is the first time I’m really seeing him, and yeah, I'm not impressed. At all.

Pierre just talks so much and says nothing. He's loud and acts like he's got all the answers, but when u actually listen, he's not saying anything that makes sense. Just rants that try to sound smart without actually being smart. Watching him go after Jean Charest, who's probably one of the most respected people in that whole room, just made him look straight up dumb and made me cringe. Like, you really gonna pick a fight with the one guy who actually knows how to run things? Then there's Leslyn Lewis. She's got some scary far-right beliefs, like wanting to pull Canada outta the UN?? And she's super anti-choice, which, yeah, no thanks.

She says a lot of the same stuff as Pierre tbh. Both of them act like they're the only ones who know “the truth” and everyone else is lying. There's also Scott Aitchison, who honestly seems alright, more like the Erin O'Toole type. Calm and not super wild with what he says. Doesn't seem like he's gonna win tho, which sucks cuz he's at least not yelling 24/7.

Then Roman Baber is there too, he's mostly just famous for getting kicked out of Doug Ford's caucus during COVID stuff. He's kinda whatever, not as loud as the others, but not really memorable either.

What REALLY bugs me, though, is that Poilievre and Lewis both straight-up paid $50,000 to skip one of the leadership debates. Just didn't wanna show up. Only the other candidates are going. Like, do you realize how much money that is?? Most Canadians are out here struggling to pay for groceries and rent, and these two are just tossing 50k like it's nothing. And for what? To dodge answering real questions?? It's gross. It just shows how outta touch and unaccountable they really are. Rich people playing games while the rest of us suffer.

Anyway, this whole race is a mess, and if this is what the future of the Conservative Party looks like, then we’re all in trouble. They gotta do better than this. Seriously.

This piece is an archival work of the author, originally published elsewhere, and is presented here for historical record. The views expressed are solely those of the author and do not necessarily reflect the editorial position of the Provincial Times. Read our Content Policy here.