Poilievre shrugs off reports of campaign turmoil, pitches Tory tax relief

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OTTAWA — Conservative Leader Pierre Poilievre brushed off reports of campaign turmoil Sunday as he pitched his party as the best choice to stand up to U.S. President Donald Trump.

With the second week of the federal election campaign underway, another round of U.S. tariffs is expected to land on Wednesday — tariffs that threaten to overtake the conversation in the federal election.

Recent media reports suggest there’s growing concern in Conservative circles about Poilievre’s campaign messaging, with some Conservatives calling on him to speak out more forcefully against Trump’s agenda now that most polls show him trailing Mark Carney’s Liberals.

Carney called an election for April 28 shortly after being chosen this month to lead the Liberals.

Poilievre visited a plastics factory Sunday in North York, where he promised to allow investors to defer capital gains tax if they reinvest those earnings in Canada.

Carney had a quiet day in Ottawa, while NDP Leader Jagmeet Singh tried to rustle up support in British Columbia.

Bloc Quebecois Leader Yves-Francois Blanchet shook hands in Victoriaville, Que., and greeted candidate Daniel Lebel, showing off one of his signs for the cameras.

Green co-leaders Elizabeth May and Jonathan Pedneault planned to attend the Juno Awards Sunday in Vancouver.

In North York, Poilievre dismissed the suggestion that he needs to focus his campaign more squarely on the U.S. threat, saying the promised reinvestment tax cut would bring billions of dollars into the economy to help Canada fight Trump’s unfair tariffs “from a position of strength.

“We will be a nation that rewards strivers, builders, entrepreneurs and workers — an economic fortress that will allow us to be stronger, self-reliant … stand on our own two feet and stand up to Donald Trump,” he said.

While the announcement Sunday acknowledged the dangers posed by waves of U.S. tariffs, Poilievre’s campaign has largely focused on familiar Conservative themes of cutting taxes and fighting crime.

Singh, meanwhile, has emphasized pocketbook issues like affordable housing and groceries.

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Campaigning in Port Moody, B.C., on Sunday, Singh said the federal government extends loans to “wealthy developers” but not to “everyday families.” He promised that an NDP government would offer access to low-interest federal loans to those who qualify for a mortgage but may not be able to afford bank rates.

The NDP is struggling to retain the allegiance of progressive voters, with polls suggesting that many now see the Liberals as best placed to fight for Canadian sovereignty.

Polls indicate Trump’s threats of levies and annexation have become the key concerns for Canadians, and more than one survey has put Carney, a former Bank of Canada governor, at a significant advantage among voters when it comes to handling Trump.

Carney’s campaign has focused heavily on responding to the U.S. tariffs.

Following his first phone call with Carney on Friday, Trump appeared to soften his tone toward Canada, agreeing that the two countries would begin negotiating a new economic and security plan after the election.

Ex-Liberal Han Dong announced Sunday he is not seeking re-election in the federal riding of Don Valley North, saying his former party has told him it has a new candidate and he doesn’t want to split the vote between the Liberals and the Conservatives.

“After speaking with my family, team and supporters, I have decided to not participate in this election to give the (Liberals) the best chance to form a government and protect us from the threats posed by Donald Trump,” Dong, who most recently served as an Independent MP, wrote on social media.

“I am disappointed not to be part of this important campaign.”

Dong left the Liberal caucus in March 2023. He said he was working to clear his name after a media report cited unidentified sources suggesting he advised a senior Chinese diplomat to hold off on freeing Michael Kovrig and Michael Spavor, two Canadians being held in China.

A commission of inquiry into foreign interference found that classified information corroborated Dong’s denial of the claim that he suggested China should delay releasing Kovrig and Spavor.

Liberal candidate Paul Chiang apologized this week for comments he made in January about a Conservative candidate who had a bounty placed on him by Hong Kong police last December.

The Toronto Association for Democracy in China said in a news release that Chiang told Chinese-language newspaper Ming Pao at a news conference three months ago that everyone at the event could claim the bounty “if you bring him to Toronto’s Chinese Consulate.”

Joe Tay, a Conservative candidate for Don Valley North, is among six overseas activists targeted by Hong Kong police. In December, the Hong Kong police announced a bounty of about $180,000 for information leading to his arrest.

On Sunday, Poilievre took aim at Carney for keeping Chiang on the ballot.

“I find it incredible that Mark Carney would allow someone to run for his party that called for a Canadian citizen to be handed over to a foreign government on a bounty,” Poilievre said.

— With files from Dylan Robertson and Alessia Passafiume in Ottawa, Nick Murray in Toronto and Darryl Greer in Port Moody, B.C.