EDMONTON, Alberta (LifeSiteNews) — The Conservative leader of Canada’s official opposition, Pierre Poilievre, urged his fellow Albertans to vote for the province to remain part of Canada and “renew their faith” in unity, arguing that leaving the country won’t solve any problems in the fight against federal overreach.
While speaking to a crowd of supporters Tuesday, Poilievre, who is originally from Calgary, Alberta, said that as a “national family” Albertans should instead have “honest conversations to fix them to stay united.”
“You do not do that by telling them that their complaints are illegitimate or that their problems will never be fixed,” he told the crowd of supporters.
“Many Albertans are legitimately frustrated that a costly and controlling, big and bossy government has gone far beyond its jurisdictional boundaries,” he said.
He noted, however, that the “problem” with federal overreach “is not Canada.”
“Separation will not solve those problems. Becoming even more Canadian will,” he added.
The October 19 Alberta referendum vote will ask residents whether a petition for Alberta separation should proceed in the future, to be pursued by the current United Conservative Party (UCP) provincial government under Premier Danielle Smith.
The question about possible separation to be put to Albertans reads, “Should Alberta remain a province of Canada or should the Government of Alberta commence the legal process required under the Canadian Constitution to hold a binding provincial referendum on whether or not Alberta should separate from Canada?”
Along with the separation question, there will be nine other questions related to immigration and Canada’s Senate, among other pressing issues.
As reported by LifeSiteNews, despite strong opposition to federal overreach, Smith recently appealed to Albertans to support unity by voting no at the referendum.
For his part, Poilievre did tell his supporters that federal overreach is a real issue, and that the current federal government of Prime Minister Mark Carney needs to allow Alberta to unleash its economic potential as well as do better on national files such as immigration and security.
Calls for Alberta’s independence have grown since Carney defeated Poilievre in the 2025 federal election. In Alberta, all but two seats went to the Conservatives.
Carney, like former Prime Minister Justin Trudeau before him, said he is opposed to new pipeline projects that would allow Alberta oil and gas to be extracted, although he looks to be softening his stance due to high oil prices as a result of the U.S.-Iran war.