OTTAWA –
A Quebec senator said Pierre Poilievre’s first week as leader of the Conservative Party made him “comfortable” with his decision to leave the party.
Senator Jean-Guy Dagenais endorsed former Quebec prime minister Jean Charest in the recent leadership race and has not sat in a caucus of Conservative senators since 2019.
Dagenais said he disagreed with Poilievre’s support of a convoy of trucks last winter in Ottawa and proposed firing the governor of the Bank of Canada.
The senator said that was why he decided to leave the party at the weekend after Poilievre’s big win, in which he found widespread support in Quebec.
Dagenais said that watching Poilievre’s first press conference with reporters this week confirmed his decision to leave, comparing his performance to that of former US President Donald Trump.
He also called it “unacceptable” for the Conservatives to send a text message to members of the now-Independence MP Alain Rayes, who also left the party following Poilievre’s victory.
The party later apologized for sending the message, encouraging members to demand Rayes’ resignation.
This report by the Canadian Press was first published on September 16, 2022.
