Wednesday, April 09, 2025
 

Poilievre digs at Carney's 'banker's haircut,' Liberal says his rival hasn't managed a crisis

Conservative Leader Pierre Poilievre's criticisms of Mark Carney got personal on Tuesday, while the Liberal leader hit back at Poilievre's political career.

Poilievre's past swipes at his main political opponent include criticisms that Carney is no different than his predecessor Justin Trudeau and that the Liberal leader co-chaired two investment funds that were registered in Bermuda during his time at Brookfield Asset Management.

During a news conference on Tuesday, Poilievre again levied those criticisms but also added some personal digs.

He said voters shouldn't think Carney is any different from Trudeau "because he has a banker's haircut and wears a pair of blue socks."

Poilievre also narrowed in on Carney's private sector experience, which the Liberal leader has touted during the campaign.

"Mr. Carney is not a businessman. He is a political grifter," Poilievre said Tuesday in response to a question about Carney's past business dealings.

Speaking at a news conference later in the day, Carney took a few digs of his own at Poilievre. The Liberal leader largely aimed at Poilievre's career as an MP, and contrasted that to his experience working as the head of the Bank of Canada with Stephen Harper's government during the 2008 financial crisis.

"Pierre Poilievre was not at any of those tables, was not given any of that responsibility and … in subsequent years has not gained any responsibilities in managing crises," he said. 

You can read more on Day 16 of the campaign here.

Conservative Leader Pierre Poilievre and Liberal Leader Mark Carney. (The Canadian Press)

At a news conference in Edmonton on Tuesday, it was Pierre Poilievre who decided to ask the media a couple questions, specifically about the size of the crowd at his rally in the city the night before.

Before a Globe and Mail reporter was able to ask her question — whether the size of his rallies matter — Poilievre was inquiring to her how she liked his campaign event.

He has asked reporters this question before, about his crowd size, at other events, that have drawn thousands of people. 

This time, in reference to the Edmonton event which the campaign said may have drawn around 15,000 people, the Conservative leader also asked when was the last time Canada had a rally that big.

"I think to have 10 to 15,000 people at one political rally, this is a movement like we've never seen because people want change, " Poilievre said, "They want to put our country first for a change."

His comments about his rallies, it seems, is to indicate the momentum his campaign enjoys, despite polling that shows his party trailing to the Liberals.

But the size of a politicians political rally may not be indicative about wide-scale support of a campaign or predictive of electoral success, some political analysts say.

Read more of this story here.

CBC's Poll Tracker

Last Updated: April 6, 2025, at 11:57 a.m.

CBC's Poll Tracker, run by Éric Grenier of TheWrit.ca, has the latest polling numbers in the federal election campaign. You can click on the photo and check out the full website, complete with seat projections and the percentage chances of each party winning the election.

Here's the latest. The Liberals have been holding a steady lead over the Conservatives in the polling average and would be heavily favoured to win a majority government if an election were held today. The New Democrats and Bloc Québécois, struggling to make headway in the polls, are on track to suffer significant seat losses.

Photo of the Day

Bloc Québécois Leader Yves-François Blanchet makes a campaign stop in front of the Supreme Court on Tuesday in Ottawa. (Adrian Wyld/The Canadian Press)

Listen of the Day

House Party is an all new, weekly podcast series from the makers of CBC’s The House. Self-aware political nerds Catherine Cullen, Jason Markusoff, and Daniel Thibeault are veteran CBC political journalists who want you to join their election watch party as they tackle one big, burning election question every Wednesday.

Today's episode: The West wants out, Quebec wants in, and Canadian unity turned into a campaign issue this week after former Reform Party and opposition leader Preston Manning claimed increasing numbers of Westerners – particularly Albertans – may see secession as the only option if the Liberals win. Yet in Quebec, Bloc Québécois leader Yves-François Blanchet took the opposite tack, downplaying separatist sentiment and arguing Canada needs to be united in its response to Donald Trump’s tariffs. So is separatism REALLY a ballot box issue this time around? Catherine Cullen in Ottawa, Jason Markusoff in Calgary and Daniel Thibeault in Montreal try to unite their three solitudes with an answer. 

Listen here: https://app.magellan.ai/listen_links/qTzybq

Ask Us

What do you want to know about the federal election? Send an email to ask@cbc.ca.

The Peace Tower on Parliament Hill is seen past falling snow, illuminated by a camera's flash, in Ottawa on Wednesday, April 2, 2025. (Justin Tang/The Canadian Press)