Pierre Poilievre, Leader of the Conservative Party of Canada, has been holding large rallies across Canada as he campaigns to be the Prime Minister of Canada when Canadians go to the polls on April 28th. On Friday, it was Windsor’s turn to host the Leader of the Official Opposition when he held a rally in an industrial park off Plymouth Drive. The Canadian Press called me to go cover it.
Shortly after I arrived and was checked in with one of the media handlers, I was introduced to the campaign’s photographer, John Lehmann. Lehmann is one of Canada’s top photographers and is a fellow graduate of the Photojournalism program at Loyalist College. He allowed me inside the cordoned off pathway where Poilievre makes his entrance and shakes hands with supporters. It allows for a variety of up close shots of the candidate, different from the ones I’ll be getting from the penned platform I’ll eventually be confined to.
After focusing on Poilievre and getting what I needed, I began to focus on his supporters in the crowd. Who are the people that come out on a Friday evening to hear this man speak? It’s the one question I’ve been asked the most since attending the rally - what was it like?
About half way through his time on stage a woman had a medical emergency. She ended up lying on the floor and paramedics rushed over to care for her. Not long after, Poilievre waded into the crowd to speak to the woman and put his arm around the woman’s friend.
As everyone exited the warehouse, a full moon was visible low in the evening sky. No editorializing intended.