Alberta separatists slam Poilievre for declaring himself a 'Canadian patriot' opposed to secession
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'Pierre Poilievre and the federal Conservatives want Albertan votes but not Albertan autonomy. Saying Alberta should stay no matter what shows exactly how little respect they have for the province's right to chart its own path,' said Michael Harris, the Libertarian candidate challenging Poilievre in next month's Battle River—Crowfoot byelection.
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'That's not unity, that's control,' Harris said.
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'Well, I disagree with separation. I'm a Canadian patriot (and) there's no other country in the world where someone of my modest origins would be able to make it,' said Poilievre.
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Poilievre was responding after he took part in a CBC interview on the weekend and said Alberta should stay in Canada even if the Liberals continue to hold power in Ottawa.
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Grant Abraham is another candidate challenging Poilievre in August's byelection. The leader of the United Party of Canada, which advocates for provinces standing up against federal power, Abraham said Poilievre is likely underestimating the level of unrest in Alberta.
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'I mean so much of Alberta is so fed up with paying money to Quebec and Ontario in the form of equalization payments … Alberta hasn't seen any money back from that since the 1960s,' said Abraham.
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Harris and Abraham both think there should be a referendum on Alberta independence next year. Abraham says he'd vote 'yes' if a referendum on the province's independence were held tomorrow, if only to wake Ottawa up to the reality of western unrest.
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Republican Party of Alberta Leader Cam Davies, who ran provincially last month in an overlapping riding, said he thinks Poilievre will face a rude awakening himself at the doors of Battle River—Crowfoot as he campaigns for the seat recently vacated by Conservative MP Damien Kurek.
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'I can tell you in the part of the riding with Mr. Poilievre's newfound home … that there is 30 per cent plus support, if not greater, for Alberta independence,' said Davies.
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In the provincial race, Davies won just under 18 per cent of the vote, with most of his support coming at the expense of Alberta's governing United Conservative Party.
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Jeff Rath, a lawyer with the pro-independence Alberta Prosperity Project, said that Poilievre's comments about Alberta staying in Canada show just how 'irrelevant' he's become to both the country and the province.
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