‘Back so quickly': Carney holds rally at Pyramid Cabaret

Winnipeg Free Press

25-04-2025

Regularly reserved for bar crawls and cover bands, Liberal Leader Mark Carney was the headliner Thursday at the Pyramid Cabaret, as red-clad supporters rallied in what was the prime minister's second stop in Winnipeg before election day.
'It is great to be back in Winnipeg, back so quickly,' he said to cheers from the audience.
Bartenders slung soda and water under the Pyramid's disco ball to hundreds of supporters, who were holding signs that read 'Never 51' and 'Canada Strong.'
ADRIAN WYLD/ THE CANADIAN PRESS FILES
Liberal Leader Mark Carney was last in the city for a news conference and rally April 1.
Carney, who was last in the city for a news conference and rally April 1, repeated many of the talking points that he has carried throughout the campaign. That included condemning the 'tragedy' of the trade war and heightened tensions with the U.S. and calling Conservative Leader Pierre Poilievre a 'lifelong politician who worships at the altar of the free market.'
'I'm still learning how to be a politician — I think it's a good thing — but I think I'm a pragmatist,' he said.
'So when I see something that's not working, I will change it.'
Carney promised to put in legislation to remove federal barriers to interprovincial trade by July 1 — 'free trade in Canada by Canada Day,' Carney said.
'We need one economy in this country, not 13.'
Flanked by Liberal candidates who joined the leader on stage, Diana Fox-Carney described her husband as empathetic and strong-willed.
'Criss-crossing over the country over the past weeks, I think you've seen my husband is incredibly hard-working, that he is committed to listening to all of the many people like yourselves that he's met along the years,' she said.
For some in the audience, the rally felt like a victory lap after a month of successful campaigning in Manitoba.
Among those ready to rock was Manny Calisto, a retired school teacher who said he's becoming 'increasingly more confident with each day' the Liberal party will lead Canada after Monday's election.
'It's not necessarily based on the polls, which clearly are showing that's likely to happen,' the 59 year old said.
'I think I'm more confident because I really strongly believe that Canada will not follow the U.S. example.'
While waiting to get into the venue, Nicole Van Osch said the race isn't over until it's over.
'I'm semi-confident, but don't want to take anything for granted,' she said.
During Carney's first stop in Winnipeg, he visited New Flyer Industries in Transcona and met with Premier Wab Kinew but made no new policy announcements. His second visit came as all three major party leaders were darting across the country to make their final pitches to voters.
During Elections
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NDP Leader Jagmeet Singh held a rally in Transcona Wednesday evening and spoke with media Thursday morning. Conservative Party leader Pierre Poilievre was in Halifax Thursday.
A Probe Research poll released Wednesday found 43 per cent of Manitoba respondents were either decided or leaning toward voting Liberal, while 40 per cent were supporting the Tories.
In Winnipeg, that gap grew to 50 per cent Liberal and 32 per cent Conservative. Rural and northern Manitobans surveyed flipped to 54 per cent Conservative support and 32 per cent Liberal support.
— with files from Alex Lambert
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Malak AbasReporter
Malak Abas is a city reporter at the Free Press. Born and raised in Winnipeg's North End, she led the campus paper at the University of Manitoba before joining the Free Press in 2020. Read more about Malak.
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