Conservative Leader Pierre Poilievre will urge Albertans to work with other provinces to force policy changes in Ottawa rather than pursue separation, according to prepared remarks released before his speech.Poilievre is expected to argue Alberta’s frustrations are not with Canada or Canadians, but with federal government policies he says have hurt the province’s economy, autonomy and way of life.“Listen carefully to the concerns of those saying that they want to leave. And you will find that they do not have a problem with fellow Canadians or even with Canada,” Poilievre says in remarks made public before the speech in calgary during the Monday lunch hour. “They have a problem with the federal government.”The remarks frame Alberta’s path forward as one of provincial alliances inside Confederation, rather than breaking away from it.“We do not need a different country, Alberta. We need different government policies in Ottawa,” Poilievre says in the prepared excerpt.He will cite pipelines, firearms, criminal justice, taxes, provincial autonomy and free enterprise as key issues Albertans have raised with Ottawa.“Unblocking resources and pipelines, respecting firearms owners, locking up criminals, relieving taxpayers, respecting provincial autonomy, unlocking free enterprise — we know that these are the things Albertans have been demanding,” the prepared remarks state.Poilievre is expected to argue those demands are not unique to Alberta and would benefit other provinces as well.“It is not a zero-sum game. These steps would make every province better off,” he will say.“All Canadians want these things.”The Conservative leader will call on Alberta to build common cause with Saskatchewan and Newfoundland and Labrador to expand oil and gas production, speed up permitting, lower energy taxes and repeal Bills C-69 and C-48, which he describes as “anti-development, anti-pipeline laws.”.He is also expected to say Alberta should work with steelworkers in Hamilton and Sault Ste. Marie to fight the industrial carbon tax.On crime, Poilievre will argue Alberta should join with Toronto communities pushing for tougher criminal justice laws in response to violence and theft.He will also call for alliances with indigenous hunters and rural Canadians to oppose federal firearms restrictions.“Lock arms with indigenous hunters and rural communities across the country to fight the federal gun grab, so Alberta's farmers, hunters, and sport shooters can keep their lawful property,” the prepared remarks state.Poilievre will say Alberta should also work with Quebec to restore provincial autonomy under the Constitution, including greater provincial control over immigration.He is expected to argue provinces that pay for housing and social services for newcomers should have more say over how many people enter and who they are.“Both Quebec and Alberta — and probably others — agree that the provincial governments that pay for the social services and housing of newcomers, must have more control over how many and which people enter,” the prepared remarks state.Poilievre’s speech is expected to close with a direct appeal to federalist Albertans and those frustrated by Ottawa alike.“Locking arms with other provinces is the practical, realistic path to a Stronger Alberta within a United Canada,” the prepared remarks state.
