Poilievre and the Conservatives can’t be trusted to stand up for workers

Bruske: Poilievre loud on rhetoric, but silent on his real agenda

OTTAWA––With his lengthy anti-worker track record and history of cutting health care, Pierre Poilievre’s election as leader of the Conservative Party of Canada is a concern for working families, warned Bea Bruske, President of the Canadian Labour Congress.

“Pierre Poilievre has used populist rhetoric to hide away his real agenda. But his long track record of attacking workers’ rights and siding with profitable corporations over everyday people makes clear the kind of leader he would be if he gained power,” warned Bruske. “While Mr. Poilievre talks loudly about inflation, he cannot be counted on to push companies to increase workers’ pay to keep up with skyrocketing inflation.”

Bruske noted that while the evidence clearly shows wages are not contributing to rising inflation, ‘greedflation’ by large corporations – who are taking advantage of the inflation to raise prices – is helping to drive up the cost of living.

“While workers and their families see their buying power decreasing, Mr. Poilievre ignores the real problem. It is critical people see through his glib rhetoric to what his real plans are for our country,” explained Bruske. “All we hear from Mr. Poilievre are vague sound bites about freedom. But he isn’t talking about your freedom to make a fair wage or the freedom to make greedy corporations pay their fair share.”

Bruske added that Poilievre does have a previous record in government, having served in a Conservative government that cut health care, imposed austerity on everyday people, introduced anti-labour laws and helped rich corporations pay even less in taxes.

“In government, Mr. Poilievre and his Conservative colleagues ignored the warnings of frontline health workers and voted to cut tens of billions from public health care funding. He voted to cut support for unemployed workers and repeatedly attacked workers’ rights,” concluded Bruske. “Pierre Poilievre cannot be trusted now to repair our broken health care system, help struggling families or stand up for workers.”

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