The lineup to see Conservative Leader Pierre Poilievre stretched across multiple city blocks as thousands awaited to enter a campaign rally in Surrey, B.C.
The event on Thursday, held at an unassuming warehouse on 190th Street, had the atmosphere and spirit of a rock concert with Poilievre’s voice regularly drowned by the cheering of supporters.
For those who could hear him clearly, Poilievre appealed directly to the young and diverse working-class audience by recounting a childhood story of being on vacation and “splashed by rich kids” who were jet skiing in Penticton.
As the story went, his father showed little sympathy for Poilievre and told him if he wanted his own jet ski to splash them back, he’d have to get a job so he could pay for it.
The lesson: “if you want things in life, you have to work for them,” Poilievre said to a raucous ovation.
Poilievre also reiterated several campaign promises, including his pledge to axe the carbon tax, jail violent repeat offenders, and make housing more affordable, specifically for young people.
The festive atmosphere continued even after Poilievre’s speech, with hundreds flocking his tour bus outside the venue to offer their support.
Shouts of, *We love you,” “I trust you,” and” God bless your family” could be heard as Poilievre left the venue on his way back to the tour bus.
“I’m adopted just like you,” yelled one protestor.
Jordan Paquet, a political consultant with over a decade of experience on various campaign trails described the event as exceptional and unprecedented.
“I’ve been on the road with three different Conservative leaders over the last 15 years, and I’ve still never seen anything like this,” Paquet wrote on X just hours after the rally concluded.
“Over five thousand in Surrey tonight, and this early in the campaign? Something is happening on the ground that we haven’t seen before in Canadian politics.”
It was Poilievre’s second appearance of the day in the Greater Vancouver Area, with the federal Conservative Party leader holding a press conference earlier in the day at a sheet metal factory in Coquitlam.
During the earlier event, Poilievre pledged an increase to the maximum contribution limit for the Tax-Free Savings Account by $5,000 for qualified Canadian investments.