Conservative Party of Canada (CPC) MP and CPC leadership candidate Pierre Poilievre has demanded Prime Minister Justin Trudeau remove COVID-19 measures and let Canadians resume control of their own lives.
“Listen to the experts, prime minister,” said Poilievre in a letter on Thursday. “By following the science, you can allow people to get their lives back.”
Poilievre accused Trudeau of dividing Canadians and telling them to fear their neighbours, actions he said have led to the protests against COVID-19 restrictions in Ottawa and across Canada.
Jurisdictions around the world, Poilievre pointed out, are getting back to normal. He added that it is time for “all of Canada, not just a few select provinces, to end the use of vaccine passports and other COVID restrictions.”
Poilievre accused Trudeau of imposing the vaccine mandate for truck drivers crossing the Canada-US border as “a wedge issue to again divide Canadians and disparage a minority for your own political gain.” He added that the vaccine mandate would lead to “shortages and worsening inflation- particularly at grocery stores- by shutting down the very truckers who deliver our goods.”
The federal restrictions, Poilievre continued, have “nothing to do with health and everything to do with political theatre.” He called for the federal government to take three steps “to restore freedom and protect health.”
Poilievre said that the first step is to eliminate all federal vaccine mandates. He declared that unvaccinated public servants should be welcomed back and compensated for the earnings lost since they were suspended without pay, while the vaccine mandate for truckers crossing the Canada-US border should be scrapped.
The second step, said Poilievre, is to encourage an end to provincial mandates. He recommended Trudeau convene a meeting with premiers within one week “to forge a voluntary consensus among them on clear and short timelines to lift all restrictions and end vaccine passports and mandates.”
He said the third step is to state that there will be no tax on unvaccinated Canadians.
Poilievre said that Trudeau should not allow his anger towards the truckers “to stand in the way of doing the right thing.”
“Prime minister, the power trip is over,” he said. “Give people back control of their lives.”
Poilievre also launched a petition Wednesday calling for restrictions to be repealed.
He declared his campaign for the Conservative leadership last week, announcing “I’m running for prime minister to give you back control of your life.”
