Poilievre doubles down on promise to fight inflation, carbon tax during stop in Corner Brook

Hundreds of supporters gathered with excitement inthe Corner BrookCivic Centre on Friday to see Conservative Leader Pierre Poilievre, markinghis fourth visit to Newfoundlandin 12 monthsin an effort to drum up support for a shot at being the next prime minister.

Speaking in the middle of the room surrounded by supporters, Poilievrespokeon issues including oil and gas production, the pending federal firearms legislation and inflation.

He said inflation across the country is the result of "government greed"and promised a Conservative government would cap spending by forcing Ottawa to find a dollar of savings for every new dollar spent.

"Our purchasing power is going down while the super-rich, the bankers and the insiders get better off. It's a transfer of wealth from the have-nots to the have-yachts," Poilievre told supporters.

"You've been pinching your pennies long enough. It's time that government started pinching its pennies as well."

Poilievrewas joined by fellow Tories Clifford Small, the MP for Coast of Bays-Central-Notre Dame, and former premiers Tom Rideout and Tom Marshall.

He also tookseveral jabs at local Liberal MPGudie Hutchings, saying her constituents in the riding ofLong Range Mountains likely see more of him than her.

The Conservative leader noted Hutchings was among the Liberal MPs who voted against exempting home heating oilfrom the federal carbon tax,which residents of the province will pay starting July 1. He then asked the crowd if they had spoken to their MP, prompting one man to say she doesn't answer calls.

"She didn't pick up the phone. Nope, she was too busy answering Justin Trudeau's calls," he replied with a laugh.

Poilievrerepeated his promise to exempthome heating oil from the tax receivingthe loudest applause of the evening, along with a chant from the crowd of "Axe the tax."

Poilievre also said his government would be committed to allowing Newfoundland and Labrador to double its oil production by 2030, along with approving natural gas projects in Western Canada.

He said increasing production and relying on oil from Newfoundland and Labradorwould create independence from "dictator oil,"citing countries like Russia and Qatar, within five years of his election.

Poilievre's team declined a request from CBC News for an interview.

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