OTTAWA — Some Conservative MPs deflected questions Wednesday about Pierre Poilievre’s comments on the RCMP, after the Liberals, Greens and NDP called on the Conservative leader to apologize.
“There’s a five-alarm fire going on in this country, with jobs, with inflation… so that’s what we’re going in to talk about,” House leader Andrew Scheer told reporters ahead of the party’s weekly caucus meeting.
In a recent interview with a YouTube channel, Poilievre called the RCMP’s leadership “despicable” and accused it of covering up for former prime minister Justin Trudeau.
Poilievre claimed that Trudeau could have been charged criminally for accepting a vacation from the Aga Khan and said the former prime minister would be in jail if not for the RCMP.
“Of course,” Conservative MP Todd Doherty said Wednesday when asked if he supports Poilievre. He also asked reporters why they weren’t asking questions about unemployment and the opioid crisis.
Conservative MP Andrew Lawton said Poilievre has support from caucus and called his comments “little, out-of-context things from a podcast” that are not a big priority.
On Monday afternoon, Poilievre’s spokesperson sent a written statement on his behalf saying he stands “shoulder to shoulder with the brave men and women in uniform.”
The statement said Poilievre’s comments were “directed to former RCMP commissioner Brenda Lucki, who has a lengthy track record of publicly documented scandals, deception and political interference to the benefit of the Liberal government.”
Asked about that statement, Conservative MP Michael Barrett said Poilievre “offered a precision that I think was very important” and made it clear that he supports RCMP officers.
Conservative MP Garnett Genuis said Poilievre is a “strong leader defending men and women in uniform” and he would “take no lessons from the Liberals on standing up for front line officers.”
Conservative MP Greg McLean said Prime Minister Mark Carney’s government should hold Trudeau’s government “to account over what happened.”
This report by The Canadian Press was first published Oct. 22, 2025.
Anja Karadeglija, The Canadian Press
