Poilievre clarifies remarks on 'despicable' leadership at RCMP, says he was talking about past commissioner
OTTAWA — Conservative Leader Pierre Poilievre on Monday sought to clarify his statement that RCMP leadership was “despicable” over its handling of Trudeau-era scandals, by saying he supports the force and was talking about its past commissioner.
Poilievre, through his office, released a statement as question period in the House of Commons got underway and the Liberals called on him to apologize.
“I stand shoulder to shoulder with the brave men and women in uniform who put their lives on the line every day to protect and serve. Today and every day, I thank them for their service,” Poilievre said in a statement, which was also shared internally with Conservatives.
“My comments were directed to former RCMP Commissioner Brenda Lucki who has a lengthy track record of publicly documented scandals, deception and political interference to the benefit of the Liberal government.”
Poilievre’s comments came after Liberal, NDP and Green MPs blasted his initial statement, which he made in a wide-ranging interview with Northern Perspective, which describes itself on YouTube as an “independent Canadian media channel,” that aired last week.
During the interview, when asked how Poilievre would handle similar scandals like the ones which plagued former prime minister Justin Trudeau such as the SNC-Lavalin affair and his 2016 vacation to the Aga Khan’s private island, the Conservative leader said those should have resulted in “jail time,” saying the leadership of the RCMP was “frankly, just despicable when it comes to enforcing laws against the Liberal government.”
Asked about those comments during a press conference with Prime Minister Mark Carney last week, RCMP Commissioner Mike Duheme said he does not take political orders and encouraged Poilievre to meet with RCMP leadership.
The Conservative leader’s comments prompted staffers in his office to include a set of talking points for the party’s caucus on the matter, which on Monday was obtained by the National Post. Those talking points were first reported by the Toronto Star.
The talking points, sent under the title of “RCMP leadership,” were told to be for “reactive use only.” The memo says that “Canadians expect the RCMP to uphold the law equally, including to those in power,” and outlined past public testimony regarding the scandals.
It is common practice for leaders’ offices to send talking points on key issues.
The earlier talking points, which were included in Monday’s statement to the media, read that “RCMP officers play an important role in protecting our borders and keeping our streets safe,” adding that during this past spring’s election, the party promised to provide it with more resources to deal with human trafficking and organized crime.
As question period got underway on Monday, Liberal House Leader Steven MacKinnon called for Poilievre to apologize for his comments, saying they called into question the independence of the judiciary and the very force responsible for protecting Poilievre’s family, which is a duty of the RCMP.
“We don’t do that in Canada,” MacKinnon charged, as shouts of “shame” could be heard in the House. Poilievre responded by saying the Liberals were trying to “distract” from cost-of-living issues.
NDP interim leader Don Davies told reporters on Monday that Poilievre’s comments were not only irresponsible, but “also reminiscent of Donald Trump,” who he says is “politicizing the justice system, politicizing the police system.”
“These are not only irresponsible comments, but frankly, they undermine our democratic traditions and institutions, and they’re wrong.”
Green Party Leader Elizabeth May echoed the call for the Conservative leader to apologize.
“I don’t like that kind of language in Canadian politics,” she told reporters.
At the time of the scandals in question, Trudeau was found in 2017 by the federal ethics commissioner to have violated the conflict of interest law by accepting a vacation and private flight to the Aga Khan’s island.
In 2019, he was also found by the ethics commissioner to have broken the rules by attempting to influence Jody Wilson-Raybould, the attorney general at the time, into overruling a decision by the Public Prosecution Service not to grant SNC-Lavalin a deferred prosecution agreement.
Poilievre’s comments also prompted Dimitri Soudas, former communications director for Stephen Harper, the country’s last Conservative prime minister, to pen an opinion piece in the Toronto Star last Friday, saying Poilievre has failed to learn lessons from his most recent electoral defeat, saying his rhetoric amounted to “recklessness.”
Anna Tomala, the chief of staff to Harper at his firm, Harper Associates, later posted on social media that the opinion piece does not represent Harper’s views.
Poilievre is due to face a leadership review in January 2026.
Some Conservative candidates said Poilievre’s tone was an issue for them with voters, particularly women and those 55 and older.
Multiple Conservative MPs entering the House of Commons on Monday did not directly respond to questions about whether they supported Poilievre’s comments on the RCMP, but said they supported him as leader.
National Post
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