Carney and Poilievre cross paths on popular Quebec talk show

OTTAWA – Liberal and Conservative leaders Mark Carney and Pierre Poilievre presented two different characters, but similar plans to confront U.S. President Donald J. Trump, on Radio-Canada’s popular show Tout le monde en parle . “Nobody can control Donald Trump… We need to focus on what we can control and that means to strengthen our economy,” said Poilievre, who was interviewed first of the two leaders. “We need to diversify our allies and our economy,” said Carney, when his turn came up later on the broadcast. Both men affirmed that Canadians must be “masters in their own house,” a reference to the slogan of Quebec’s Quiet Revolution of the 1960s, “ Maître chez nous .” Carney made this slogan central to his campaign, and Poilievre mentioned it several times. The answers were quite similar, so much so that host Guy Lepage asked Carney if he agreed with Pierre Poilievre, since “he clearly said exactly the same thing.” Carney, who seemed surprised, smirked and replied: “Well, he hears me! It’s good!” It seemed Carney had once again taken an idea from Poilievre. Shortly after taking office a month ago, he canceled the carbon tax for consumers, a long-standing Conservative promise. The Tories also aim to eliminate carbon levies on industry. Carney later canceled Justin Trudeau’s capital gains tax increase, a move promoted by Poilievre, and also proposed abolishing the GST for first-time buyers, another Conservative idea. “You’ve taken quite a bit from the Conservatives’ cookie jar. Do you think Mr. Poilievre has good ideas?” asked Lepage. “Maybe,” Carney replied, before drawing a contrast with his opponent by saying that he is much more oriented toward the environment than Poilievre. He also said he is more focused on the economy than his predecessor, Justin Trudeau. “It has to be said, he was less interested in that,” he acknowledged, before saying that he came into politics because there was a crisis. “The situation is difficult, and that’s why I’m here. Because of the housing crisis and the crisis with the United States. Life is simpler in the private sector. Simpler, more profitable, more everything. But it’s too important,” he said, referring to his return to the public sector. The pressure was on, Sunday night, for both frontrunners as they were attending the influential Radio-Canada show, which regularly gets nearly a million viewers a week in Quebec. Lepage and co-host Jean-Sébastien Girard run a show that has been considered for decades an essential way for federal party leaders to gain exposure in Quebec. Their interview with Jack Layton, in 2011, is supposed to have triggered the “Orange Wave” in Quebec and allowed the NDP to become the official opposition for the first time in its history. The Conservatives have always had a love-hate relationship with the program. Former leader and prime minister Stephen Harper did not appear on the show. This time, Poilievre’s wife, Anaida, convinced him to participate. Poilievre was much more relaxed than ever. He smiled and joked with the hosts. But the hosts wanted to know who was the “real Pierre Poilievre”: the one with an “abrasive, belligerent and even slobbering tone,” or the one who is calmer and smiling more often? Poilievre said he was the leader of the opposition and now, he’s preparing to become Canada’s next prime minister, and he has to be more positive and “present more hope.” “It’s frustrating to see politicians making decisions that have caused people’s unhappiness, and sometimes it can come across as aggressive. But it comes from a desire to fight for those who deserve better from our country,” he said. On the program, his style was compared to U.S. President Donald Trump. Co-host Girard asked him if he was a “mini-Trump, a medium Trump, or a large-Trump?” “I’m about 180 lbs., so not really,” replied Poilievre. “Listen, I have a completely different story than him. He comes from a very wealthy family, while I have modest origins,” he said. He was also challenged about culture, particularly regarding his plan to defund the CBC. He said he wanted to preserve Radio-Canada because it had helped him to learn French as a child in Alberta. His wife, who grew up in Quebec, is a strong supporter of the network. In his segment, Carney seemed more serious and possibly nervous. He is less fluent in French than his opponent. For instance, considering the fact Carney has paused his campaign three times to deal with the job of prime minister, the host suggested it must be more fun to be prime minister than to be a candidate in an election. “In a sense, it’s easier (to be prime minister) in a crisis… In a crisis, you must act, you must make big decisions, you must be bold. Being a candidate is different: You must make speeches, shake hands and look at cows,” he said, the latter remark a translation of the English expression “sacred cow.” Yves-François Blanchet, leader of the Bloc Québécois, was not impressed by the answer and wrote on social media that the cows’ comment was “Mark Carney’s vision of democracy, and the campaign.” Blanchet will be a guest on  Tout le monde en parle next week. Carney also showed he could be quick on his feet when asked to name an artist from Quebec. He replied that Coeur de Pirate’s songs were playing at his rallies and was able to answer a more specific question about an old comedy group, to the pleasure of the hosts. If both leaders did cross paths in Montreal, they didn’t have the chance to cross swords. That will happen in the same building on Wednesday and Thursday, for both the French and English debates. Canadians will vote April 28. National Post atrepanier@postmedia.com Get more deep-dive National Post political coverage and analysis in your inbox with the Political Hack newsletter, where Ottawa bureau chief Stuart Thomson and political analyst Tasha Kheiriddin get at what’s really going on behind the scenes on Parliament Hill every Wednesday and Friday, exclusively for subscribers. Sign up here.

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