Pierre Poilievre promises new law against government jargon

OTTAWA, Ill. — Candidate Pierre Poilievre is fighting one of his last battles in the race for the leadership of the Conservative Party of Canada (CPC).

The latest target of the self-proclaimed defender of free speech is the jargon used by the federal bureaucracy.

In a new video posted to social media, the apparent front-runner in the leadership race promises to enact what he calls the “Clear Language Act,” which he says would put an end to government jargon, including in legislative documents.

Poilievre said the law would ensure that government publications are written in simple, straightforward sentences instead, but he did not explain how such a law would work — or how the bill itself would be written without using jargon.

He argues that government documents are unnecessarily complicated because the officials who write them use too technical language, which creates barriers for small businesses to read them.

Use fewer words: Mr Poilievre appears to want to take it personal, as he complained about politicians’ use of jargon in a speech over a decade ago.