Former Vancouver mayor and Liberal candidate Gregor Robertson likened the size of Conservative Leader Pierre Poilievre’s rally crowds to the 2022 Freedom Convoy protests, claiming that supporters were united in “resentment for government.”
Robertson made the comments Tuesday following a rally by Liberal Leader Mark Carney in Delta, B.C.
A spokesperson for Poilievre’s campaign responded by telling True North that “comments like that from the Liberals really show what they think of the millions of Canadians who are struggling and want change in this country.”
Robertson has been attending Carney’s campaign stops along the West Coast in Richmond and Delta this week, running as the Liberal candidate for Vancouver Fraserview—South Burnaby.
First reported by the National Post, Robertson was asked why he thought Poilievre was attracting such massive crowds in comparison to Carney, which he dismissed as people who were simply unsatisfied with the status quo.
“There are always going to be thousands of people who will go to protests and are not satisfied with what’s on the table,” said Robertson. “That’s the nature of democracy.”
Reporters pressed Robertson to acknowledge that Poilievre’s gatherings were political rallies, taking place during an election, and not “protests.”
“It’s a political rally,” conceded Robertson. “But it’s very deeply aligned with the truck convoy rally that went to Ottawa.”
Robertson likened the immense rally sizes to the Freedom Convoy which took place in Ottawa during the COVID-19 pandemic to protest government mandates such as lockdowns and vaccine requirements.
“There’s a lot of shared resentment for government in general that people express at these rallies around the country, south of the border and in countries around the world,” said Robertson.
“It’s a democracy. People can show up and express their feelings. We encourage that here in Canada,” he said, walking back his earlier comments. He added that he didn’t see Poilievre’s “messaging resonating” with people on the West Coast.
Regardless of Robertson’s assessment, Canadians are showing up to Poilievre’s rallies in droves and dwarfing the size of the crowds at Carney’s.
Poilievre held a rally in Edmonton Tuesday which saw around 15,000 people in attendance, which marks a major sign of his message resonating when compared to the 2,400 people who showed up for Carney at the Richmond rally.
“We are humbled by the tens of thousands of people who have attended our rallies across the country. We’ve never seen anything like it. Every day Canadians who’ve struggled so much for the last decade are putting their hope and trust in our plan to put Canada First,” said the campaign spokesperson.
“It shows the real desire for change out there.”