The presumptive next leader of the Conservative Party of Canada rallied supporters with a speech today in Nanaimo.

Pierre Poilievre, the frontrunner in the party鈥檚 leadership campaign, held a meet-and-greet Sunday, Aug. 28, at the Vancouver Island Conference Centre.

The MP promised people 鈥渟maller government and bigger citizens,鈥� and closed his speech by talking about a desire to fight for freedom rather than fight over control. He said if he becomes Conservative leader and then prime minister, he will stand up to 鈥済ate-keepers鈥� who try to control what people see and what people say.

鈥淭hese woke warriors want to control what other people say. They鈥檙e always talking about new ways to divide us,鈥� Poilievre said.

He said a Conservative government would repeal amendments to the Broadcasting Act which he called 鈥渃ensorship law,鈥� and would require every university that receives federal research grants to commit to upholding rights around freedom of expression for students and faculty.

He promised to defund the CBC and got a standing ovation when he announced that he would ban all Conservative ministers from any involvement in the World Economic Forum.

鈥淚f any of my ministers want to go to that big fancy conference of billionaires with the World Economic Forum in Davos, they better make it a one-way ticket because they won鈥檛 be back in my cabinet,鈥� he said.

Poilievre outlined plans for Canada to grow more food, produce more energy and build more homes. On housing, he said a Conservative government under his leadership would link federal infrastructure dollars for cities to the number of housing units those cities permit. He also said every federally funded transit station would come with pre-approval for housing, and 鈥渦nder-utilized鈥� federal buildings would be sold for conversion to affordable housing.

Poilievre said the Liberal government鈥檚 鈥渋nflationary deficits鈥� means there is more money chasing fewer goods, resulting in rising costs. He discussed some of his plans to rein in government spending, including a 鈥減ay-as-you-go law鈥� requiring the federal government to find a dollar in savings for every new dollar in spending.

鈥淧oliticians need legal limits on their spending and they will get it when I am prime minister,鈥� he said. 鈥淵ou鈥檝e been pinching your pennies long enough.鈥�

Poilievre has another meet-and-greet scheduled for Sunday evening, Aug. 28, at Sidney鈥檚 Mary Winspear Centre, and another event Monday, Aug. 29, at Vancouver鈥檚 Italian Cultural Centre.

The Conservatives will announce their next leader Sept. 10. The other candidates are Jean Charest, Leslyn Lewis, Scott Aitchison and Roman Baber.

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