Conservative Leader Pierre Poilievre said Friday he will be in Alberta just days before the province’s referendum to deliver a speech on Canadian unity.
The House of Commons will be on a break next week after MPs head back to their ridings for the Thanksgiving weekend.
Poilievre is scheduled to deliver his speech during the Canada Strong and Free Network (formerly the Manning Centre) conference in Calgary on Oct. 16.
The schedule lists the title of Poilievre’s speech keynote: “The Canadian Drift: Reclaiming Confidence, Abundance and Freedom for Alberta.”
His speech is expected to be followed by an address from Alberta Premier Danielle Smith, who will also take part in a fireside with columnist Rick Bell.
Jason Kenney will also be speaking at the gathering of movers and shakers in conservative politics.
The former premier, who has been fiercely vocal about staying in Canada, is set to participate in a debate and fireside chat titled ” The Sovereignty Vote and the Path Forward” alongside Calgary Confederation CPC hopeful Elan Harper, Fraser Institute fellow and law professor Bruce Pardy and former MLA-turned-publisher of the Western Standard Derek Fildebrandt.
Poilievre told a press conference in Burlington, Ont., on Friday he will also be doing “additional campaigning on the ground” in Alberta.
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“We encourage all Canadians of all parties to join in uniting all Canadians to make ourselves safe, affordable, and fully independent here at home,” Poilievre said.
When asked about tech industrialist Elon Musk saying recently that Alberta, Saskatchewan and Quebec should separate, Poilievre said “Canadians control their own destiny.”
“Frankly, people can tweet whatever they want, but tweets and memes do not affect Canada. What affects Canada is the decisions made by the Canadian people,” he added.
The premiers of Alberta and Saskatchewan brushed off Musk’s comments, while Quebec’s new premier has said he won’t trigger a separation vote while U.S. President Donald Trump is in office.
Prime Minister Mark Carney said the future of Canada will be decided by Canadians when asked Thursday about Musk’s comments at a press conference in Sherbrooke, Que.
While born in South Africa, Musk holds Canadian citizenship and has lived in several parts of the country.
His mother was born and raised in Saskatchewan, where the tech titan spent time living and working on a family farm as a teenager.
He moved on to Vancouver before attending Queen’s University in Ontario, where he met his first wife.
Alberta Conservative MP Dane Lloyd has been tasked with leading the federal Conservatives’ unity campaign in the province.
Responding to reports in The Globe and Mail about Alberta separatists allegedly seeking the help of the U.S. government in exchange for potential water rights and oil royalties, Lloyd said Monday “no one has the right to promise away Alberta’s birthright.”
Lloyd stopped short of describing that activity as foreign interference, saying more information needs to be gathered.
Mitch Sylvestre of the separatist Alberta Prosperity Project denied offering oil and water rights to the U.S. in his group’s three conversations with U.S. State Department officials in Washington. He also said he only attended one of those meetings.
Albertans will vote on the prospect of a future separation referendum, along with nine other questions involving constitutional and immigration issues, on Oct. 19.
— With files from Karen Barto, Global News and The Canadian Press reporter Jack Farrell in Edmonton
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