Brian Crossman, right, got the obligatory selfie with Pierre Poilievre on Aug. 3 on a farm near Estevan. Photo by Brian Crossman
Politics. Not really a career in my mind. It’s not even a job really. The political area is more like a blood sport. (“May the odds be ever in your favour.”) Like most Canadians, (Western Canadians anyway) I don’t have much use for politicians. I know a few, and they are all nice people, and Lord Love ‘em for taking on the task of representing their constituents. But it always seems like they go out of their way to make poor decisions, and spend their entire term getting little or nothing done. (In the current Liberal government’s case, getting way too much of the wrong things done) At least that how it looks from the voter’s perspective.
It will come as no surprise that I am a conservative-thinking individual. (Energy Industry guy) I believe in small government, low taxes and creating opportunities for entrepreneurs in the middle class. (And by creating opportunities, I mean stay the F— out of their way) When people challenge me about who would look after the poor and downtrodden I say this: It will always be the job of government to maintain a social safety net for the people who require assistance. However, studies show that conservatives donate more to charity than Liberals do. (My own experience with this verifies it in my mind at least) Liberals and socialists are however VERY generous with other people’s money, not their own. I digress, so I shall save that for another article in the future.
Pierre Poilievre. If you listen to the major media outlets in Canada, this man is dangerous. Trouble. Evil. He is bound to destroy Canada. (Like it’s in such good shape now… sarc.) He is just like Trump! The list of his “character” flaws is long. Racist, Homophobe, Misogynist, supporter of truckers and their terrorist ways. (Man, those bouncy castles had me terrified…) I have watched him over the years, and I see none of these traits.
Pierre Poilievre at the Saskatchewan Oil and Gas Show in 2019. Photo by Brian Zinchuk
I have had the opportunity to meet Mr. Poilievre three times now. The first time was at the Weyburn Oil show in 2019. I was able to chat with him, one-on-one for about five minutes. We talked about the economy, our families and the Saskatchewan energy industry’s place in Canada. I liked him right away. Good handshake, easy to talk to, and seemed to have genuine concern for the people of Saskatchewan. I walked away thinking, “he seems alright.” (For a politician)
Pierre Poilievre at the Saskatchewan Oil and Gas Show on June 1, 2022
The next time was surprise, surprise, at the Weyburn Oil Show in June of this year. My second encounter was very different, which was to be expected as he is now running for the leadership of the Conservative Party of Canada. (Full disclosure, I am a member, so I get to vote) I got in a line next to Panther Rig 3 drilling rig, shook his hand and got my picture with him. No real conversation, but understandable as many people wanted to meet him. No worries. I did chat with the guys that work for him; they seemed very bright and were very impressed by the Saskatchewan energy industry. They are great hardworking, young people. Pierre did give a great speech earlier that day, and of course the standing room only people were very impressed. (I was there to meet Quick Dick McDick, but yeah Pierre was alright too.)
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A few weeks back, my friend Jason LeBlanc was good enough to invite me to an impromptu event at his farmyard southwest of Estevan. Pierre Poilievre was coming out to talk to a few of us from southeast Sask. Once again, he gave a good speech, saying the things people from these parts want to hear. I got to shake his hand again, and chat for about thirty seconds. And once again, I had a great talk with his staff, and I made sure they were aware of my concerns for Saskatchewan and Canada. I also was able to talk to Andrew Scheer, Senator Denise Batters, Lori Carr and many others. It was nice to be able to talk a little politics away from the coffee shop where we bitch and that’s as far as it goes.
Pierre Poilievre at an Estevan-area farm on Aug. 3, 2022.
Sorry it took so long to get to my point. The question is, “Can Pierre Poilievre become the next leader of Canada?” John Gormley on Newstalk 980 says no. He believes that the Canadian media will not allow it. Sadly, he could very well be right. The media in this country will dig up every potentially bad thing (true or not) this man has ever said or done and spin it in an effort to protect the Liberal Party of Canada. They will call it “journalism”, but it’s not. It will be an attempted character assassination of someone who is a family man and seems like a pretty decent fellow. (No blackface or treating women badly that we know of) In my opinion, this is tragic.
The current administration is, as we say in the oilpatch, “shitting the bed.” And not just for Western Canada, but the whole damn country. (Prove me wrong) It is time for a change. I’m pretty sure ya’ll out here in the energy industry will agree with me on this. So, if the media will show some integrity (not likely) and the voters in Ontario, Quebec and British Columbia will give him a chance, maybe we can make Canada just a little bit better.
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Other than my intuition, gut feeling and the fact that Pierre has actually taken the time to come out to the parts of Canada never frequented by most politicians the reason to consider him is this. The media hates him, and are doing what they can to tarnish his reputation. “He’s a populist!” “He presents simplistic answers to complex issues.” The current prime minister once told us “The budget will balance itself.” How is this so different? When the attacks are released simply because he is conservative tells me he probably is saying and doing the right things.
To close, I truly believe Pierre Poilievre is a man who can put Canada back on the right track. The question is; “Do you trust him?” I sure don’t. Trust cannot be freely given, it has to be earned, and he hasn’t had that opportunity yet. I don’t trust any politician until they earn it and do the right things to keep it. And the same should go for all of you out here. Having said that, should we give him a chance? My answer is “Hell yes!” We need a change no matter what. Let’s hope that the voters of Canada are willing to give him a chance. I personally hope I did in fact meet the future Prime Minister of Canada.
Brian Crossman is a partner at Independent Well Servicing in Estevan. His advice is, “trust no politician.” I will say this; Mr. Poilievre will answer a question in a way that makes sense. Mr. Trudeau will just spew out more platitudes that have nothing to do with question. (Again, prove me wrong) But remember, if you chose zero involvement in the election process you also have zero right to bitch about it. Suck it up and get involved.
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