Some Conservative MPs doubt Poilievre’s leadership after podcast remarks about RCMP

After conservativist Leader capital of south dakota Poilievre blamed RCMP leaders on a podcast, some company members are questioning whether they will continue supporting him.

Five Conservative caucus members who spoke to Radio-Canada said Poilievre has not changed his message enough since the last election campaign and is not projecting an image befitting a prime minister.

Radio-Canada is not naming the sources so they can speak freely about internal party matters.

In total, Radio-Canada spoke to 10 Conservative sources across the country, including seven caucus members.

Four of the sources are unsure whether they will support Poilievre in a confidence vote this January, after having supported him in recent years.

“It’s completely irresponsible to say that a former prime minister should be imprisoned,” one of the sources told Radio-Canada in French.

Speaking last week on the YouTube channel Northern Perspective, Poilievre said former prime minister Justin Trudeau broke the law when he took a free vacation, a reference to the 2019 Aga Khan scandal, and “probably” broke the law a second time during the SNC-Lavalin affair.

Poilievre said the RCMP “covered it all up” and called RCMP leadership “despicable” when it comes to enforcing laws against the Liberal government.

“These comments are proof that Pierre Poilievre will never be prime minister,” a source said.

One of the Conservative MPs, who supported Poilievre in the party leadership race, told Radio-Canada they believe Poilievre is still obsessed with Trudeau and appears to be having a hard time getting over his election defeat.

Sources say they intend to demand an explanation of Poilievre’s comments at Wednesday’s caucus meeting on Parliament Hill.

Despite the criticism, many point out that Poilievre still enjoys strong support within the party.

In an interview with Radio-Canada, Poilievre’s Quebec lieutenant Pierre Paul-Hus said he has confidence in his leader.

“I know what this man is worth to the country, to Quebec,” he said.

Paul-Hus qualified his leader’s remarks, saying that attacks on the RCMP were primarily targeting former commissioner Brenda Lucki, who made “many mistakes” and followed “political directives.”

A written statement issued by Pierre Poilievre on Monday echoed that sentiment.

“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,” the statement said.

Another Conservative MP told Radio-Canada that Poilievre’s remarks on the podcast were a mistake but not “the tragedy of the century.”

“He let his guard down. He was comfortably slumped on a sofa. Anyone can make mistakes,” the source said.

“It’s good to give a leader two changes. We’ve already burned Andrew Scheer and Erin O’Toole after just one election. Stephen Harper won on his second attempt.”

A source close to Poilievre said the leader has a unique style of doing politics and credits the leader’s authenticity for helping the party achieve its best result in the popular vote in a federal election since 1988.

Laurence Martin

Laurence Martin is a parliamentary correspondent with Radio-Canada in Ottawa.

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