Open this photo in gallery:
Conservative Leader Pierre Poilievre during Question Period on Parliament Hill on Wednesday.Adrian Wyld/The Canadian Press
Conservative Leader Pierre Poilievre and other senior party members sought to refocus attention on their criticisms of the Liberal government’s budget at the end of a week that raised questions about the stability of their own party.
One Conservative MP crossed to the Liberals on Tuesday, another announced late Thursday that he was resigning and on Friday, Conservative insiders were burning up the phones to see if any others were imminently on their way out.
At a Friday event organized by the Economic Club of Canada, Mr. Poilievre did not address the internal drama in a 30-minute lunch hour speech to a downtown Toronto crowd of politicos and business people. There, he sought instead to provide his take on the minority Liberals’ budget and juxtapose his own economic vision.
Prime Minister Mark Carney’s spending plan, tabled Tuesday, calls for more than $140-billion in new spending over five years, partly offset by about $60-billion in internal savings.
Campbell Clark: The threat of defections that could puncture Poilievre’s swagger
Mr. Poilievre accused Mr. Carney of saddling future generations with record-level deficits and torpedoing investment in Canada with added bureaucracy.
“He blocks the business then subsidizes the business,” Mr. Poilievre said at the Friday event.
“My view is, let’s do neither. Let’s stop blocking our entrepreneurs.”
The minority Liberal government has already survived two confidence votes on amendments to the main budget motion.
A final vote on the budget motion is later this month.
Nova Scotia MP Chris d’Entremont’s decision to join the Liberals gives them 170 seats out of 343, two shy of a majority.
Mr. Poilievre was asked Friday about the possibility of a federal election by moderator Michael Liebrock, managing director of the Stronach Group.
“It will depend over the next several days what decisions are made by the various opposition parties,” Mr. Poilievre said.
“This really is a budget that the NDP and Bloc would be aligned with, because it is a big spending budget.”
The Bloc Québécois says it won’t support the budget, and the NDP have not laid out their position.
John Rapley: Carney could have borrowed more and taken bigger risks in his budget
Matt Jeneroux, the Conservative MP who late Thursday said he was resigning – but not crossing the floor – later clarified the timing of his departure is still uncertain.
He is expected to vote with the Conservatives.
His name had circulated in recent days as one of the MPs that the Liberals are courting. Mr. Poilievre’s office cited that issue in Thursday talking points as a factor in Mr. Jeneroux’s decision to announce his resignation now.
Mr. Jeneroux did not, saying only that he wants to spend more time with family. But in a second online statement posted late Thursday, he addressed rumours that he was politically pressured to leave, saying coercion was not a factor.
The Globe and Mail asked Jenni Byrne, who ran the Conservatives’ campaign and remains an adviser to Mr. Poilievre, whether she was aware of any threats against Mr. Jeneroux.
“I don’t know what people are talking about,” she said on her way into Mr. Poilievre’s event, adding that she had not spoken with the MP.
Conservative House Leader Andrew Scheer blamed the Liberals for Mr. Jeneroux’s imminent departure. He said the government was trying to get a majority mandate through “undemocratic means with backroom deals and pressure tactics.”
Open this photo in gallery:
Conservative House Leader Andrew Scheer blamed the Liberals for MP Matt Jeneroux’s imminent departure.Sean Kilpatrick/The Canadian Press
Mr. Scheer said Canadians aren’t interested in “palace intrigue” but are instead focused on the budget’s failure to make their lives better.
“That’s what Conservatives are focused on. We are going to hold this government to account,” he told reporters in Ottawa on Friday.
Conservative MP Roman Baber, who attended Mr. Poilievre’s speech, said the caucus remains united.
“It’s Mr. Carney who is failing Canadians,” he said.
Conservative strategist Kory Teneycke, the campaign manager for Ontario Premier Doug Ford, said floor-crossings aren’t uncommon during the early days of minority governments, when members who feel “unrequited love” switch parties.
“It’s not a new thing,” said Mr. Teneycke, who also attended Mr. Poilievre’s event. Still, losing two members in a week is not ideal, he said.
“It’s not good news for the Conservatives. I don’t think anybody’s going to say they’re happy about that.”
