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Conservative Party Leader Pierre Poilievre made Saskatoon one of his final stops just days before Canadians head to the polls.
“Everything is at stake (and) this election is about change,” Poilievre said as he addressed the crowd of supporters and journalists at TCU Place on Friday morning.
“After a lost Liberal decade of rising costs and crime, we can’t afford a fourth Liberal term.”
He hammered home core promises such as reducing the lowest income tax bracket from 15 per cent to 12.75 per cent and axing the carbon tax.
TODAY: Conservative Party Leader Pierre Poilievre was in Saskatoon discussing his platform ahead of the federal election
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“Bad news for the politicians is your summer vacation is cancelled,” he said as the crowd laughed behind him.
If the Conservative Party leader wins, he would keep Parliament open all summer to pass three laws addressing affordability, bringing home jobs, and keeping streets safe.
“It’s going to be the biggest crackdown on crime in Canadian history,” Poilievre said.
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He touched on his “jail, not bail” approach, which includes bail denials for repeat offenders and mandatory minimum sentences.
Poilievre said the small number of criminals in Canada cause a “tremendous” amount of damage, and are repeatedly cycling in and out of jail.
“It’s like the Hotel California. They check out, but they never really leave,” he said, adding that keeping these individuals behind bars could put an end to crime.
On U.S. President Donald Trump’s tariffs, Poilievre said Canada must adopt a position of strength and become more self-reliant to end the “chaos” caused by tariffs.
“We will approve pipelines, mines, (liquified natural gas) plants, nuclear power, (and) export terminals so that we can get our goods overseas to other markets,” he said.
Poilievre thanked the province for creating his roots. His father is from the French village of Leoville, around 160 km northwest of Prince Albert, while his mother spent much of her early days in Saskatoon.
“I want a country with a big opportunity, as big as the prairie sky, where anyone from anywhere can do anything,” Poilievre said.
Poilievre kept questions tight by only allowing the media to ask four questions and took none from local media outlets.
On Thursday night, he spoke at a campaign rally of around 2,000 people in a Saskatoon warehouse.
The federal election will take place on Monday.
