Poilievre stops to thank N.B.-N.S. border protesters, faces backlash

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Federal Conservative Leader Pierre Poilievre stopped to thank protesters camped out on the side of the road at the New Brunswick-Nova Scotia border on Tuesday evening.

Video shows him posing for selfies and walking through flags that say F- Trudeau in a tour of the encampment.

Addressing protesters, he says they’re part of “a good ol’ fashioned great Canadian Tax Revolt.”

“Everyone’s happy with what you’re doing,” Poilievre says in the video.

“Right on guys, let’s keep it up and bring it home,” he later adds, then flashing a peace sign and heading back to his car.

The decision to stop drew backlash from Prime Minister Justin Trudeau and others on Wednesday, who say Poilievre was pandering to a group of far-right extremists.

“Every politician has to make choices about what kind of leader they want to be,” Trudeau said.

“Are they the kind of leader who is going to exacerbate divisions, fear, and polarization in our country, make personal attacks, and welcome the support of conspiracy theorists and extremists.

“That’s exactly what Pierre Poilievre continues to do.”

One of the videos shows Poilievre exiting a protester’s trailer that has a small “Diagolon” symbol drawn onto its door, what’s been described at the Emergency Act inquiry as an online community of anti-government and far-right extremists.

Trudeau seemingly referenced that on Wednesday, saying you see Poilievre “engaging with members of Diagolon.”

Asked by Brunswick News why Poilievre would meet with people endorsing this group, spokesperson Sebastian Skamski replied in an email that Poilievre noticed “an anti-carbon tax protest” and decided to make an impromptu stop.

“If Justin Trudeau is concerned about extremism, he should look at parades on Canadian streets openly celebrating Hamas’ slaughter of Jews on Oct. 7th,” Skamski said.

NDP MP Charlie Angus posted on social media that it’s clear why “Pierre Poilievre hangs with this crowd.”

“He keeps them stoked because the politics of intimidation are part of the Conservative arsenal. Ask MPs about the rise in threat, violence, vandalism and how many think twice now about posting info of their public events,” Angus said.

Fredericton West-Hanwell MLA Dominic Cardy reposted one of the videos adding “the fascist group Diagolon welcomed Mr. Poilievre to their encampment.

“He chooses to associate with these people,” Cardy said.

Several of the videos were posted to Facebook by Thomas Everett of Amherst, Nova Scotia, who has organized protests at the provincial border since the pandemic.

But the protesters say in the video that they have remained at the border for nearly a month since a carbon tax protest temporarily closed the Trans Canada Highway.

It’s a protest Premier Blaine Higgs said, at the time, he understood.

“Across the country I think people are tired of the carbon tax, and are recognizing it’s not doing what it’s supposed to do,” Higgs said.

But he added that the protesters shouldn’t have forced the highway’s closure.

“No, we shouldn’t be blocking traffic. We have to have commodity movement, we need that for trade. In our country we respect peaceful protests, and people have a right and an obligation to do that if they feel warranted,” Higgs said.

“But you can’t shut down major borders.”

Poilievre appeared to be passing over the provincial border after spending the day in Malpeque, PEI, where a social media post shows him knocking on doors with Conservative candidate Jamie Fox.

Poilievre then had a meet and greet in Port Hawkesbury, N.S., scheduled for Wednesday evening.

“We saw you, so I told the team to pull over and say hello,” Poilievre said in one of the videos.

He promises several times to “axe” the carbon tax, while adding that Trudeau purports to help the middle class, but doesn’t.

“Everything he says is bullshit, everything top to bottom,” Poilievre said.

Trudeau on Wednesday also said that Poilievre has done nothing to reject the endorsement of controversial U.S. talk radio host Alex Jones.

Last week, Jones said he has been following Poilievre “for years and he is the real deal.”

Jones was ordered to pay nearly $1 billion in damages to the families of the victims of the deadly 2012 Sandy Hook school shooting, which he long portrayed as a hoax.

He’s also previously described 9/11 as an “inside job” and said former First Lady Michelle Obama may secretly be transgender.

“This is the kind of man who’s saying Pierre Poilievre has the right ideas to bring the country towards the right, towards conspiracy theories, towards extremism, towards polarization,” Trudeau said. “The fact that he continues to encourage the kind of divisive approaches to Canada that I don’t think Canadians want to see really shows that he will do anything to win, anything to torque up negativity and fear.”

Skamski said in an email that “we do not follow the individual or listen to what he has to say.

“Common sense Conservatives are listening to the priorities of the millions of Canadians that want to axe the tax, build the homes, fix the budget, and stop the crime. It is the endorsement of hard working, everyday Canadians that Conservatives are working to earn,” he said.

“Unlike Justin Trudeau, we’re not paying attention to what some American is saying.”