Poilievre talks tariffs, temporary foreign worker policy and ‘Stand on Guard Act’

The Conservative Party leader discussed tariffs, pipeline policy and temporary foreign workers while touring a Cambridge manufacturer. CTV’s Karis Mapp reports.

The leader of the Conservative Party of Canada zeroed in on American tariffs and the policies surrounding temporary foreign workers during Wednesday’s stop in Cambridge, Ont.

Pierre Poilievre made the comments following a tour of the industrial filtration manufacturer Fil-Trek.

“Your business is thriving right now because of sales to the United States, which, mercifully, have not been captured by the [President Donald] Trump tariffs,” he told the assembled workers. “This is the vulnerability we have, overreliance on the market.”

Poilievre promised to safeguard industrial jobs by passing policies that would help get Canadian goods into more foreign markets.

“Our plan is to pass the Canada Sovereignty Act, which will rapidly legalize the approval of pipelines, [liquefied natural gas] plants, more oil and gas production in Canada so that we can get our product to world markets,” he explained.

His pledge comes on the same day Prime Minister Mark Carney announced his government would be making major project announcements on Thursday. Carney called the list of so-called nation-building projects the cornerstone of a plan to bolster the country’s economy.

“Projects that will increase our independence, boost our economy, align with the interests of Indigenous peoples, and advance our climate goals,” Carney said during Wednesday’s speech to the Liberal caucus in Edmonton. He added that the change would require a united response “not seen in this country since the end of the Second World War.”

Poilievre’s plan, by comparison, focused on individual Canadians.

“There are three things we have to do to boost your take-home pay. One – we have to allow for more jobs and more earnings to occur in the first place. Two – we have to let you keep more of those earnings through lower taxes. Three – we have to preserve the buying power of your money by reversing government inflation,” Poilievre said.

“We will get rid of the industrial carbon tax,” he pledged. “The electric vehicle mandate will be gone for good, and you will be able to buy the truck or car of your choice forever.”

The federal government recently announced plans to pause its EV policy. The electric vehicle mandate would have required 20 per cent of all new vehicles sold in Canada to be electric by next year. The plan had been to increase EV sales until 2035, by which point all new light-duty vehicles sold in Canada would be fully electric or hybrids.

Stand on Guard Act

Poilievre also used the stop to reiterate his support for a proposed amendment to the Criminal Code to consider use of force, including deadly force, reasonable in the eyes of the law when defending against intruders.

“We will also allow yourself to defend yourself in your home by bringing in the Stand [on] Guard Act, which will allow you to defend your family and your home if someone breaks in and threatens your family,” he said. “You have the right to use force to protect yourself, and we will get rid of the illegal guns by securing our borders rather than going after licensed, law-abiding, trained and tested sports shooters and hunters who are not a risk to our country.”

International students and temporary foreign workers

During a one-on-one interview following the tour, CTV News asked Poilievre about his views on international students and temporary foreign workers.

“The international students and foreign workers themselves, they’re great people,” he said. “They’re just looking for a better chance. But the Liberal government has so totally screwed up our immigration system that people from very poor countries are being exploited with low wages, and Canadian kids born and raised here or immigrated here are not able to get jobs.”

A week ago, Poilievre called on the government to axe Canada’s temporary foreign worker program and stop issuing visas for temporary foreign workers.

The program began in the early 1970s and was reformed in 2014 under former Prime Minister Stephen Harper. The change required companies that wanted to use temporary foreign workers to prove they were unable to hire a Canadian citizen or permanent resident for the job.

Poilievre was the employment minister in Harper’s cabinet at the time.

Several sectors rely heavily on the program, including agriculture, forestry, fishing and hunting, as well as accommodation and food services.

Carney previously stated his government was reviewing the program and that it “has a role.”

The president of the Canadian Federation of Agriculture has said the temporary foreign worker program is “vitally important to food production and food security.”

Homelessness

CTV News also asked Poilievre about his plan to tackle homelessness.

“The Liberal government has doubled housing costs with policies that inflate U.S. prices through out-of-control inflation and immigration,” he said. “They block homebuilding with bureaucracy and now a lot of people can’t afford a place to live. Meanwhile, legalizing drugs has caused an addiction. I would reverse all of these Liberal policies. Our policy will be to unleash affordable homebuilding by taking taxes and red tape out of the way, and by banning drugs and investing in treatment for the people who are stuck on the street for addiction [so they] can become drug-free and our communities can become free of these encampments.”

Carney, meanwhile, said the federal government would debut its Build Canada Homes organization next week. The prime minister promised the organization would focus on building affordable housing using Canadian materials.

Although a Health Canada exemption to the Controlled Drugs and Substances Act allows provinces and territories to approve the operation of temporary overdose prevention sites (OPS), it is up to health ministries to make the decision regarding specific sites.

The Conservatives have said they want do not want a renewal of the Controlled Drugs and Substances Act exemption. The party is also calling for stricter regulations for permanent supervised consumption sites.