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In the spring of 2003, Poilievre, then a young political official, sacrificed his weeks off to help Duheim choose him for the MNA for Action d emocratique du Québec
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April 16, 2022 • 5 hours ago • 3 minutes reading • 56 comments The leader of the Conservative Party of Quebec Eric Duheim spoke at a press conference in June 2021 in the legislature in Quebec City. THE CANADIAN PRESS / Jacques Boasino
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Pierre Poalievre and Eric Duheim go far back.
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In the spring of 2003, Poilievre, then a young political official, sacrificed his leave to help Duheim get elected to the MNA for the Action d emocratique du Québec (ADQ), a right-wing provincial party, in Deux-Montagnes, north of Montreal.
“He was an exemplary volunteer,” Duheim recalled in an interview with the National Post.
Poilievre spent his time knocking on doors and working on telephones, and Duheim said his young volunteer was especially popular with the English-speaking minority in the ride to the point where he was part of a small committee called the Anglos for Éric.
In the end, Duchame finished in third place, far behind Parti Québécois (PQ) and the Liberal Party of Quebec (LPQ). “The Anglophones did not listen. In the end, they voted for a liberal and lost, just as we told them they would, “Duheim laughed.
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Fast forward almost 20 years and ADQ is far away. It was eventually absorbed by the nationalist coalition Avenir Québec (CAQ), which is now forming the government.
Duheim, after a career as a radio commentator, returned to politics, leading the Conservative Party of Quebec, which gained popularity during his rule. In his first year, membership jumped from 600 to 57,000, and his party surpassed the Liberals in the recent by-elections on the south coast of Montreal by more than 10 percent of the vote.
He also proved a thorn in the side of Prime Minister Francois Lego, especially with regard to the pandemic restrictions, which were particularly severe in Quebec.
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Duheim, who announced his intention to take part in Shawo, north of Quebec City, in the provincial election this fall, also managed to attract hundreds of visitors to a recent community center in early April, with some having to listen to his speech outside due to lack of space.
“You are the silent majority, saying louder and louder, ‘Lego, that’s enough,'” Duheim told them.
He was an exemplary volunteer
Replace “Legault” with “Trudeau” and this may be part of a speech by Poilievre, which has attracted crowds of hundreds, even thousands, across the country in his bid to become leader of the Conservative Party of Canada in the past few weeks.
Jan Plante, a former conservative strategist and vice president of public relations firm TACT Conseil, has known Duheim and Poalievre for years. He said they were both conservative without apology and had a keen sense of political strategy.
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“They are not ashamed to defend their positions, even when they are not popular among the establishment, among the elite,” Plante said.
He also said that both politicians were not using Donald Trump-style populism, but a “Canadian, slightly populist approach” to attract new supporters from all horizons.
Conservative candidate Pierre Poalievre speaks in front of a crowd of supporters at the River Cree Resort and Casino, Enoch Cree Nation, west of Edmonton, Thursday, April 14, 2022. David Bloom / Postmedia
Among them are parents who have seen first-hand the devastating effects of blocking measures on their children over the past few years, or younger voters who are worried about their economic future and their chances of buying property in the housing market.
“They’re attracting new conservatives to the movement,” Plante said. “But will it continue?” Will these people be able to put their “X” in the ballot box when the time comes? “
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Duheim is not officially in the Conservative leadership race. He said he encouraged his members to vote for whomever they chose, and that many of his supporters also worked for former Quebec prime minister and candidate Jean Charest.
But Duheim’s biographer, Frederick Tetou, recently told a local radio station in Quebec that there was “close personal contact” between Duheim and Poalievre and that he could portend good if Poaliver became the Conservative leader.
“Eric must remain neutral in the race for the Conservative Party of Canada, out of respect. But certainly, if Poilievre becomes the leader of the CPC, everything is on the table for a good informal collaboration, because these are two different organizations.
“But there is a meeting of minds between the two.”
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