VANCOUVER — Conservative Leader Pierre Poilievre said Thursday he will actively campaign across Alberta to keep the province within Canada if voters face a question on independence in a possible referendum this fall..Responding to a question from a CBC reporter during a news conference in North Vancouver, Poilievre reaffirmed his position as a strong Canadian federalist.“I’m a strong Canadian federalist, a proud Albertan and a proud Canadian,” Poilievre said. “I want a strong Alberta within a united Canada, and all Conservatives will be campaigning for Canadian unity in Alberta.”He pledged to travel the province encouraging Albertans to “stay as part of the Canadian family” and stated that every Conservative MP would join the effort.“I stand for a united country and we’re going to campaign every day and every way,” he added.Poilievre’s comments come amid growing discussion in Alberta about a potential citizen-initiated referendum on independence this fall.Poilievre also took the question as an opportunity to take aim at the Carney government’s struggles to quell independence movements in other part of Canada."There was absolutely no separation movement whatsoever in Alberta. And the PQ and the Bloc Québécois, the two separatist parties in Quebec, they didn't even exist anymore. They had been wiped off the electoral map," Poilievre said.."It's worth asking how the current prime minister is doing in that regard, given the situation in both Quebec and in Alberta.”The Conservative leader has repeatedly argued that addressing Alberta’s economic grievances is the best way to strengthen national unity.The remarks follow Prime Minister Mark Carney’s meeting the previous day in Vancouver with B.C. Premier David Eby, where the two discussed B.C. priorities amid ongoing tensions over a proposed new bitumen pipeline from Alberta..Carney has faced criticism for moving cautiously on stronger ties with Alberta, as implementation of his memorandum of understanding with Premier Danielle Smith on energy and a potential West Coast pipeline has encountered delays and political hurdles.
