Two front-runners in the federal Conservative contest kicked off the race’s only French-language debate Wednesday night with differing visions of Canada, with Ottawa-area MP Pierre Poilievre stressing freedom and former Quebec premier Jean Charest pitching unity.
“My legacy will be the freest country in the world where people will be able to control their lives, including their health decisions,” Poilievre said in his opening statement, highlighting “freedom of speech without censorship by the state or the woke movement.”
Charest said he hopes his legacy as Tory leader would be uniting his party and vaulting it to majority government.
“We will leave a more prosperous country to our children and a united country to our children,” said Charest.
Patrick Brown, the mayor of Brampton, Ont., who can also speak French, stressed winning “in urban areas,” which he noted remains a challenge for Conservatives.
Another rallying cry for Conservative leadership hopefuls Poilievre, Leslyn Lewis and Roman Baber is to end all remaining COVID-19 mask and vaccine mandates.
The event took place in Laval, Que., north of Montreal, and comes as the deadline approaches for candidates to have their supporters signed up as party members in order to be eligible to vote in the leadership election.
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