When Poilievre crossed Harper

New book details one of the biggest mistakes of federal Conservative leader's career

- STEPHANIE LEVITZ

Stephen Harper feared a revolt in his Conservative caucus when, as prime minister, he decided to go ahead with compensation for residential school survivors, a newly published book reveals.

That’s part of the reason why Pierre Poilievre got in such hot water in 2008 when he made disparaging remarks about Indigenous people and questioned the point of the payments, writes journalist Andrew Lawton in his new book “Pierre Poilievre, A Political Life.”

Poilievre’s comments in a radio interview came just hours before Harper rose in the House of Commons to deliver a landmark apology to Indigenous people for the creation of the residential school system.

Just four years into his career as an MP at the time, Poilievre’s remarks cast an immediate pall over the historic moment, and drew calls for his resignation.

Poilievre was dressed down internally, but members of Harper’s innermost circle at the time told Lawton that Harper’s fury was also proactive.

The apology “was a big, big, big moment,” Ian Brodie, who served as Harper’s chief of staff, told Lawton.

“Harper had already told caucus, ‘Look, there’s going to be pieces of stuff that not everybody is happy with, but I’ve decided we need to do this in order to get onto other things. We’ve got to draw this issue to a close.”

Lawton goes on to quote Brodie suggesting Poilievre was aligned with a “good chunk” of the Western caucus, whose members weren’t happy with the payment package.