Canada’s conservatives are ‘strong’ and ‘free’ but pretty quiet on climate

Canada's conservatives gathered in Ottawa last month at the Canada Strong and Free conference to talk policy and brainstorm what's needed to win power in the next federal election. The venue echoed chatter about the evils of the carbon tax, the suffering of ordinary Canadians and the failures of the Trudeau government’s policies.

Former party leader and prime minister Stephen Harper dispensed his experiences to the gathered admirers and said Canada needed a “conservative renaissance.” Current Leader Pierre Poilievre said he could make that happen.

In episode 10 of Hot Politics, we speak to guests who analyze the party’s take on the climate and assess whether the Conservatives are on track to win the next federal election.

“Climate change was not factoring into these conversations much,” said Canada’s National Observer’s John Woodside, who covered the conference. “This is a party that basically didn't want to acknowledge that climate change was real.”

The crowd booed every time carbon tax or Justin Trudeau was mentioned, he said. “That's the energy that's really attractive to a lot of these people.”

Politics writer Philippe Fournier and former polls analyst Éric Grenier also join the conversation to chime in on current polling numbers, what they mean for the Conservative Party of Canada, and how the climate issue may or may not sway votes in the CPC’s direction.

Want the insider take on where the party stands as Canada inches toward the next election? Tune in to the 10th episode of Hot Politics — on Apple Podcast or Spotify.

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