Conservative rally in Sudbury attracts first-time supporters concerned about housing

Aya Dufour · CBC News

· Posted: Mar 20, 2025 5:40 AM EDT | Last Updated: 10 minutes ago

The Radisson Hotel successful Greater Sudbury was packed connected Wednesday nighttime for a "Canada First" rally organized by national blimpish person Pierre Poilievre. 

He spoke to supporters astir his values and policies and criticized the Liberals and their caller person Mark Carney. 

Poilievre reiterated his committedness to "axe the tax" and called for little bureaucracy astatine the national level with the slogan "boots not suits." 

The rally drew hundreds of people, immoderate of whom accidental they have lone precocious begun supporting the national blimpish party.

The riding hasn't elected a blimpish subordinate of parliament successful much than 104 years.

18-year-old Lindsey Dumont is among the caller supporters. She says she wasn't funny successful authorities until she started seeing much contented astir Justin Trudeau and Pierre Poilievre connected societal media. 

"That's erstwhile I realized everyone has a dependable and you person to usage it," she said. 

Dumont says the conservatives person her ballot due to the fact that of their policies connected housing.

"The rents are truthful high, determination are truthful galore young radical surviving astatine home," she said. 

"I'm looking to rent… it's truthful heartbreaking to spot the prices, it truly brings your aforesaid esteem down." 

Another Sudbury resident, Gokul Sheela, says helium started paying attraction to authorities a fewer years agone arsenic helium started trying to bargain a home. 

"I'm 27 years aged and I've been trying to bargain a location for the past 4 years," said Sheela, who works arsenic a peculiar constable for the Greater Sudbury Police Service. 

"I marque bully wealth and I can't spend a house. I inactive haven't fixed up connected the dream, but galore of my co-workers program connected being renters forever." 

Sheela says Poilievre's promises to chopped down authorities bureaucracy to velocity up the gathering process volition help. 

"Taking disconnected taxes for archetypal clip homebuyers, that's a argumentation I like," helium said. 

Sheela blames national Liberal policies for the lodging shortage, and says helium could not enactment the enactment successful its quest for different mandate. 

Sudbury is presently facing a historically debased vacancy complaint of 1.6 per cent, meaning that lone 1.6 per cent of rental units are presently unoccupied.