RICHMOND: Hundreds of people showed up for Mark Carney's first campaign rally in British Columbia.
The Liberal leader got the crowd going by bashing Donald Trump, Americans, and his Conservative opponent, Pierre Poilievre.
Carney was introduced by his wife, Diana. She reminisced about their first date, and explained that even 30 years ago, he had made it clear he wanted to serve Canadians.
"As his partner, I’m extremely proud of him," she said, "and as a Canadian, I'm extremely grateful that the man I met all those years ago … has held tight to that strong commitment to public service."
When Carney took the stage, he wasted no time in going after the Americans, joking that they only "understand money, lawyers, and Fox News."
Carney then accused Poilievre of being supportive of Trump's crusade to annex Canada, saying, "President Trump's plan is to divide and conquer. Pierre Poilievre's plan is to divide and be conquered."
He also suggested Poilievre would "kneel before him before he stands up to him."
From the jump, Poilievre has made it clear that Canada will "never be the 51st state," and making "Canada first" a central message in his campaign.
While Carney was speaking to hundreds in Richmond, just one province away Poilievre addressed a crowd of nearly 15,000. At a packed industrial warehouse in Nisku, just south of Edmonton, the Conservative leader laid out his strategy to put Canada first.