Canadian Conservative leader Pierre Poilievre delivered a speech on Friday that called for Canadians to stay united in the face of an uncertain world, amid growing separatist sentiments in Alberta and Quebec.
A house divided cannot stand, Poilievre said in Calgary, ahead of a consequential vote where party members will decide whether he should stay on as leader.
A leadership vote is automatically triggered by the party after an election loss — in this case, Poilievre's defeat to Mark Carney's Liberals last April, where he also lost his own seat. Despite the political setbacks, some delegates told the BBC that they still have confidence in Poilievre to lead them into the next election.
In a nearly hour-long speech that doubled as a pitch to Conservative voters at the party's convention in Calgary, Alberta, Poilievre outlined his vision for Canada's future should his party form the next government.
He focused much of his messaging on affordability and crime — issues that have long resonated with his base — and promised a small government that will represent people who have felt unseen for too long.
Poilievre also touched on geopolitical tensions facing Canada, including its strained relationship with the US, arguing that the same domestic policies he is pitching will also help Canada stand on its own two feet.
His speech was made amid a backdrop of a growing grassroots separatist movement in the Conservative stronghold of Alberta, where a process of collecting signatures to trigger an independence referendum is underway. In Quebec, the sovereignist Parti Québécois is also polling ahead, promising their own independence referendum in Quebec should they get elected as the provincial government later this year.
Poilievre addressed these threats to Canadian unity in his speech, blaming the Liberal party for people losing hope in the confederation. Party members who spoke to the BBC praised his speech for sticking to traditional Conservative messaging while also confronting separatism — what one member called the elephant in the room.
Despite the Conservatives' loss last year, Poilievre has remained popular with the party and later won back a seat in parliament in an Alberta by-election. However, recent months have also seen two elected Conservative MPs leave the party for the Liberals, raising questions about party unity and Poilievre's leadership.
Supporters credit him with delivering historic gains for the party, achieving a record 41% of the popular vote last year. He has particularly succeeded in courting young voters with his messaging on affordability, although defining the party's stance on U.S. President Donald Trump remains a challenge.
Polls indicate the party is still trailing, with a recent Léger poll showing the Conservatives nine points behind the Liberals. The upcoming leadership review vote is pivotal for both Poilievre's future and that of the party, marking the first such review since 2004.
