Conservative Leader Pierre Poilievre says he is “thrilled” Albertans voted to remain in Canada, while calling for national unity amid renewed separatist movements in Alberta and Quebec.
Poilievre spoke to reporters in Calgary on Oct. 20, a day after Albertans voted to remain in Canada in a referendum that also asked them to weigh in on policy and constitutional issues.
“Conservatives are thrilled to see Albertans vote for a stronger province within a united Canada,” Poilievre said, while thanking Tory MP Dane Lloyd for leading a campaign focused on keeping Alberta in Canada.
“All of us want now to bring everyone into the fold. Let’s now focus on unity for everyone,” he said.
Preliminary Elections Alberta results as of 5 p.m. on Oct. 20, showed 75.4 percent of voters supported Alberta remaining in Canada, while 24.6 percent supported beginning the legal process for a binding separation referendum.
Poilievre said he was “very concerned” that, in the last month, around one-quarter of Albertans and one-third of Quebecers had indicated they would support their provinces separating from Canada, which he said reflected they had “lost hope in Canada.”
The Tory leader said it was time to bring those voters “back into the Canadian family” by “restoring the promise of this country.” He said part of the solution to uniting the country is to “deliver real results” in people’s lives by addressing inflation and cost-of-living issues.
“My message is: We will fight for you. We can and we will fix these problems,” he said.
Touching on other referendum questions such as immigration, Poilievre said he supported Albertans’ decision on the matter, while arguing all provinces should have a say in their immigration levels since they must provide services, jobs, and housing for newcomers.
In the first of the nine non-binding questions, voters supported giving Alberta greater control over immigration, reducing immigration levels, prioritizing economic migration and giving Albertans first priority for new employment opportunities. Preliminary results showed about 55 percent in favour and 45 percent opposed.
Poilievre also criticized Prime Minister Mark Carney for urging Albertans to vote against the proposals, including one that would restrict eligibility for provincially funded programs to Canadian citizens, permanent residents, and people with Alberta-approved immigration status.
At a pro-unity rally ahead of the Oct. 19 vote, Carney had urged Albertans to vote against separation and reject all of the other nine referendum proposals, including those on greater provincial control over immigration.
“The prime minister was wrong on this, and he’s been wrong on immigration all along,” he said, arguing that Albertans had rejected Carney’s direction and wanted more control of immigration “after a decade of reckless, unvetted mass migration and open borders.”
While speaking to reporters in Ottawa on Oct. 20, Carney praised Albertans for overwhelmingly voting to remain in Canada, saying they had chosen to “move forward together.”
“It’s a great result for Canada, I’m thrilled that Albertans have chosen unity,” Carney said.
“They’ve chosen to build together, they’ve chosen to continue to take care of each other, to move forward together with purpose, high ambition.”
Carney said he spoke with Alberta Premier Danielle Smith early on Oct. 20 about the referendum results, and said they agreed to move forward “in the spirit of co-operative federalism,” including on issues of immigration and “other common priorities.”
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