Federal Conservatives raise affordability, spectre of EU taxation ahead of B.C. caucus retreat
Published 6:00 pm Wednesday, September 16, 2026
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A pitch for affordability was at the centre of the Conservative Party of Canada message ahead of the party’s caucus retreat in Penticton.
A brief press conference by Deputy Leader Melissa Lantsman on Sept. 16 was followed by an address by Party Leader Pierre Poilievre.
Lantsman’s portion was focused on responding to recent reports that Prime Minister Mark Carney had approached the European Union about Canada becoming an association member, news that was first shared by the Wall Street Journal and the European Parliament and not the federal government.
“None of this has been discussed here, with media, or with Parliament, or with Canadians and I think they need the straight goods with this,” said Lantsman.
Carney’s office released a statement Wednesday morning about his meeting with European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen, adding that he welcomed her proposal for Canada and the EU to move beyond the Canada-EU Comprehensive Economic and Trade Agreement “to a far stronger, more ambitious alliance in the future.”
Poilievre’s address was focused on the importance of finding ways to make life more affordable for Canadians, with a brief aside to state that he and the party would not support any associate membership that brought in any additional EU taxes or open border policy.
The address opened by praising the Okanagan and recognizing the recent hardships following the latest wildfire season.
“We Albertans love this province and our neighboring Okanagan, and we are all inspired by the firefighters, the first responders, the small businesses, the charities, the local agencies who’ve been fighting the fires and taking care of our beloved people,” said Poilievre. “All of Canada needs to learn from the resilience, the hardiness, and the determination of the people of Okanagan who’ve had a very difficult and smoky summer.”
The majority of the address to the caucus was on the role of the Opposition, not to criticize the government while abroad, but to push back and offer alternatives while at home.
“People want our government to succeed in the face of the unfair tariffs and trolling from President (Donald) Trump and his administration, and we as Conservatives know about this, because as the party of confederation we always put Canadians above all else,” said Poilievre.
He spoke to the conversations he had been having while Parliament was in recess, including with loggers in B.C., small business owners, and other Canadians currently struggling.
Poilievre said the Canadian promise of working hard, following the rules and loving the country being enough to be rewarded with affordability and a safe neighbourhood was not being upheld, and that all of the summits and speeches since the last election had not translated into tangible improvements.
He said the party, after scouring the last budget, claims to have found $150 billion in savings.
Red tape, both at the provincial, municipal, and federal level was once again cited as being largely responsible. He used the difficulties in selling alcohol across provincial borders as one example of the barriers that were still in place.
He also promised savings by outright eliminating taxes on multiple things, such as home building, fuel, and GST for vehicles made in Canada, as well as the capital gains tax for people investing in Canada.
“If the U.S. wants to raise costs on its businesses through tariffs, we must respond by lowering them on ours,” said Poilievre.
The remainder of the address reiterated previous Conservative positions, namely seeking to tighten up bail, repeal the gun-buyback, to reduce immigration and to move forward with projects awaiting approval for permits.