An Australian politician rose in a state legislature to praise Canadian Conservative leader Pierre Poilievre ranking him among history’s greatest conservatives.
Chris Rath, a Liberal party member of the New South Wales legislative council, rose in the legislature to express his support for Poilievre and his agenda.
The centre-right legislator lamented the lack of principled free market politicians in the Anglosphere, but predicted that Poilievre would break the trend of weak leadership.
“Over the last decade it has often been dispiriting for classical liberals and small government conservatives in the anglosphere not to be led by the same type of principled and determined global figures as Margaret Thatcher and Ronald Reagan in the 1980s,” said Rath.
“Today though, I have high hopes for the leader of Canada’s Conservative opposition to take up that mantle. Pierre Poilievre stands alone as the global leader classical liberals and small government conservatives are looking for.”
Rath said that Poilievre is not a “boring managerial centrist” or a “far-right populist,” but is instead a policy leader for liberal-minded conservatives worldwide.
“Poilievre’s policies include a war on debt and deficit where any increase in government spending must be simultaneously offset by cuts, industrial relations deregulation, privatization, eliminating subsidies, and overall lower taxes, including payroll tax and capital gains tax reform,” said Rath.
Rath went on to disparage Prime Minister Justin Trudeau for his housing policy, failing to meet targets and driving the dream of homeownership out of the minds of young Canadians.
“But probably his [Poilievre] best policies overall are on housing, especially in contrast to Trudeau, who constantly misses his housing targets and with home ownership now becoming a pipe dream for most young Canadians,” said Rath.
Rath applauded Poilievre’s proposal to tie federal funding of municipalities to the number of houses they build annually, rewarding cities that expand their housing supply while punishing those who do not. Rath says that this housing plan is responsible for the Conservatives attracting young voters who he says are not inherently left-wing.
The Conservatives under Poilievre have made housing policy a key plank in the party’s platform with their plan to “build homes, not bureaucracy.”
Poilievre has been able to attract the admiration of centre-right politicians from other countries also.
In March, British Conservative MP and former secretary of state for housing Sir Simon Clarke lamented his party’s failure to address Britain’s housing crisis, contrasting his party’s failures with the political success the Canadian Conservatives have been having in public opinion polls.
“One need only contrast the recent success of the Canadian Conservatives to see the amazing difference that embracing pro-home-ownership policies can deliver, even among the youngest voters,” said Sir Simon.