Freedom of speech and the Canadian economy are two of the main topics conservative leadership candidate Pierre Lemieux is looking to address.
Lemieux will be in Chatham Sunday night for a public event.
“This is a vitally important time in our Conservative Party of Canada,” says Lemieux. “I really do encourage people to come out and meet me, hear what I have to say, [and] ask me questions.”
The conservative leadership hopeful has been visiting several areas, with the latest stop being in Sarnia on Saturday. Lemieux says so far he has been getting a very positive reaction from people.
“When I give these presentations, people just love what I’m saying. It’s like a breath of fresh air to them,” says Lemieux. “[People have] said, ‘we have hope again’ -- in terms of politics and in terms of the Conservative Party.”
Some of the topics discussed at these presentations include plans to reduce government spending, lower taxes, and create more jobs. He says many of the people he has talked to have major concerns regarding the Canadian economy.
“[People] want a government – they want a leader that’s going to focus on strengthening our Canadian economy,” he says. “They know that pipelines are a course of that, in terms of allowing Canadians to invest in Canadian energy instead of sending our billions of dollars abroad, buying foreign energy and investing in foreign economies.”
Another major issue being brought up is freedom of speech. Lemieux says Canadians should have the right to say what they want, without be censored by “political correctness”.
“I’ve been such a strong advocate, pushing back against political correctness and advocating for freedom of speech," he says. "As Canadians we should be able to speak openly and freely in a credible and rational manner about things that are important to us."
The open invitation to Sunday's event will be held at Smitty’s Family Restaurant from 7pm-9pm.
Lemieux will then head to Windsor for a visit on Monday.
