Pierre Poilievre - Politics - Controversy

Controversy

In June 2006, Poilievre used foul language in a committee meeting, and made unparliamentary gestures. Poilievre later apologized for making gestures within the Commons;.

In February 2007, Poilievre suggested that there were members of Liberal caucus who wanted to legalize Hezbollah.

In June 2008, Poilievre suggested that aboriginals need to learn the value of hard work more than they need financial compensation. Poilievre went on to question the merits of funding within the INAC framework and the value for money received by Canadians. His comments were made the same day of Prime Minister Stephen Harper's public apology on behalf of the Canadian government for the residential schools. Poilievre's comments were objected to by colleagues from both the Conservative and Liberal caucuses, with members of the latter calling for his resignation. The day after his appearance on the radio program, Poilievre apologized for his statement in the House of Commons.

In May 2009 Poilievre was accused of having insensitively used the term "tar baby" in the House of Commons in reference to a policy of carbon taxation from which Poilievre suggested that Liberal leader Michael Ignatieff would try to distance himself. Poilievre repeated the term in a prepared reply to a question from a member of his own party on taxation. A number of Opposition MPs demanded Poilievre make amends for the use of the term. Media coverage of the dispute noted that Poilievre was "the latest in a long line of politicians to take flak for uttering the words.” Poilieve argued that the term was commonly used for "issues that stick to one." Over the previous years, the term itself had been used by a number of prominent Canadian public figures to indicate a sticky situation.

In October 2010, Poilievre allegedly got impatient waiting at a Parliament Hill checkpoint and pressed a button to open the security gate and drove his car through without being identified and without having his vehicle inspected. He later apologized.

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