Pierre Poilievre talks international students and safe drug supply at Kitchener stop

Federal Conservative Party Leader Pierre Poilievre at Medical Innovation Xchange in Kitchener, Ont. on July 26, 2024. (Johnny Mazza/CTV News)

Federal Conservative Party Leader Pierre Poilievre toured a Kitchener tech hub on Friday, where he spoke to CTV News Kitchener about his key campaign messages.

“I’m here to share my common sense plan to axe the tax, build the homes, fix the budget and stop the crime,” he explained.

Poilievre described his visit to Medical Innovation Xchange as “bittersweet.”

“Sweet because you see these incredible breakthroughs, inventions and discoveries,” he explained. “But bitter because so many of these jobs and opportunities are leaving to the United States, or other lower-taxed countries, where people are rewarded for their hard work, brains and success.”

Poilievre promised he would address that by introducing a “bring it home tax cut.”

“[It] will bring home billions of dollars of investment, of jobs, and will reward our homegrown entrepreneurs for creating technology and making us all better off,” he said.

Safe drug supply

The Conservative leader also spoke out against safe drug supply programs.

“CTV keeps using dishonest language in referring to taxpayer-funded heroin-grade opioids as safe,” Poilievre claimed.

His response came one day after an event in London, Ont., where Poilievre went back-and-forth with CTV News about the terminology around safe supply.

According to the Government of Canada, the program’s goal is to prevent overdoses by providing a safer alternative to street drugs. Users are also given access to substance abuse and mental health counseling, as well as employment and housing support.

Poilievre also referenced a recent statement made by the City of London’s police chief.

“Diverted safe supply is being resold into our community,” Thai Truong said at a news conference on July 16. “It’s being trafficked into other communities and it is being used as currency in exchange for fentanyl, fuelling the drug trade.”

“Giving people more dangerous drugs to treat addiction is like giving an alcoholic more alcohol, it’s like pouring gasoline on the fire,” Poilievre stated. “What we need is to give people treatment and recovery services to bring our loved ones home, drug-free.”

When asked his response to advocates who argue that a safer drug supply ultimately saves lives, Poilievre said: “I think those activists want to save their jobs.”

International students and housing

CTV News also asked the Conservative leader how he would handle international student admissions if he becomes Prime Minister.

“First we’re going to end the fraud and abuse in the international student program,” Poilievre said. “Require that every new student that comes here has proof they have income, a home and an admission letter to a real college, university or training centre.”

The federal government announced in January it was slashing the number of international student permits by 35 per cent, part of its two-year cap on foreign enrolment.

The next part of Poilievre’s plan would address the housing shortage.

“We’re going to cap the population growth below the growth in the housing stock,” he said. “We need to build homes faster than we add people to eliminate the shortage and allow people an affordable place to live. I’ll also incentivize municipalities to speed up [and] lower the cost of permits, to build 15 per cent more homes per year, as a condition of getting federal funding. We’ll sell off federal land to build more homes. That’s how we’re going to house our people.”