OTTAWA — Pierre Poilievre’s first words in the House of Commons were a sure sign of things to come.
It was October 2004, and though at 25 years old he was one of the youngest faces in the room, he had beenpreparing for this moment.Sign up to receive daily headline news from Ottawa Citizen, a division of Postmedia Network Inc.By clicking on the sign up button you consent to receive the above newsletter from Postmedia Network Inc. You may unsubscribe any time by clicking on the unsubscribe link at the bottom of our emails. Postmedia Network Inc.
“He was fully prepared on day one to stand up in question period and go right after the prime minister,” said Jeremy Harrison, a Saskatchewan cabinet minister and former Conservative MP who was elected in his early 20s alongside Poilievre.Poilievre, one of the first people elected under the banner of the federal Conservative Party of Canada, is now the presumptive front-runner in the contest to become its next leader.
“Our office started getting so many calls asking, ‘How old is this kid? Can he actually vote for himself in this election?”‘Article content Harper appointed him as his parliamentary secretary in 2008 and he was trotted out as the government’s defender-in-chief. Poilievre’s scrappy style and impressive command of various political files — served with a twist of self-satisfaction, critics say — made him the Conservatives’ go-to attack dog.Article content
Poilievre seems to know that his talents are rare. During his 2009 speech to young conservatives, he dubbed communication Parliament Hill’s “most demanded and least possessed skill.” Poilievre’s judgment was questioned again in 2010 when, one day, he grew so impatient waiting in his car to go through Parliament Hill’s security check that breached protocol by pressing a button to let himself through.
Chris Alexander was appointed to oversee immigration during the same cabinet shuffle. He described Poilievre as being open about his lack of life experience outside of politics and eager to make up for it. Former NDP MP Craig Scott, the party’s critic on the issue, said that a well-known antagonist being the face of the bill made it easier to drum up public opposition.
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