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Pierre Poilievre: Still waiting
He brags about skipping some interviews. Others he just skips.
The Conservative leadership candidate Pierre Poilievre went on Twitter yesterday to explain why he didn’t like a reporter’s questions. He’s done that before, calling a question at a news conference an “attack.”
I’m wondering why he doesn’t go on Twitter to explain why he won’t take questions from me. Or, alternatively, why he won’t just answer the questions. I posted these questions on May 23, behind a paywall. I’ve taken down the paywall, so now anyone can see them. Read them! Share them!
I believe none of my questions constitute guilt by association and none is an attack on his family, although incidentally I believe both of the reporters who had him running to Twitter were also asking legitimate questions.
When I published my questions six weeks ago, I said I’d post his replies if he sent them. He hasn’t. I’ve known him for 20 years and I don’t recall him being so bashful. Oh well. Hope springs eternal.
Pierre Poilievre: Still waiting
I'm a little surprised at all the delicate flowers here who get the vapours when a candidate for — hang on, I'm just getting word that he advertises himself as a candidate for Prime Minister — gets asked hard or edgy or snarky or, in the words of one reader, poo-based questions.
Pierre Poilievre's *entire shtick* during the two years before he announced his candidacy for the office of Prime Minister was that he was the guy who asked questions. Just asking questions! Why won't the minister just answer a simple question! Answer the question, Jean! Answer the question, Mr. Carney! Just asking questions!
Now. I know this is tricky, but try to stick with me. He is trying to get from a place where he... *asks questions*... to a place where he would... *get asked questions*. And it's been a while since I checked the rules, but in my experience, a prime minister usually gets asked questions by (a) members of political parties he doesn't like; (b) snarky poo-based journalists; (c) most importantly, the cold and heartless universe, which sometimes hands leaders a two-year global calamity, and which is, for instance, less interested in the Bank of Canada governor you just fired, and more interested in the one you'd hire. The aforementioned universe asks its questions whether a leader is glib or not. It's unimpressed, this cold and heartless universe, by people on comment boards making excuses. The questions keep coming, no matter what.
Maybe he'd like to practice some.
When Justin starts taking questions maybe Pierre will😀