Conservative leader Pierre Poilievre gave a speech at the Kruger plant in Brampton, Ontario, on March 24, 2025. Getty Images
Federal Conservative leader Pierre Poilievre has spoken out against comments made by Preston Manning, the former head of the Reform Party. Manning recently wrote that a vote for Liberal leader Mark Carney could lead to Western Canada separating from the rest of the country. Poilievre firmly disagreed with that view during a stop in Kingston.
He said Canada needs unity, not more division. “We need to bring all Canadians together in a spirit of common ground,” Poilievre told reporters. He blamed the Liberals for economic issues, accusing them of driving investment out of the country and taxing workers unfairly. He warned against giving them another term in power.
Manning had suggested in an article that people in Central and Atlantic Canada should understand that voting for Carney’s Liberals could break up the country. He said the West has grown more frustrated with Liberal policies, especially around natural resources. But Poilievre rejected the idea that Carney’s leadership would cause a national split.
Poilievre continued his campaign on Thursday, traveling across the country to build support. His main messages focused on making life more affordable and fighting crime. He also criticized the United States as an unreliable trading partner. Concerns over Canadian sovereignty have grown, especially since former U.S. President Donald Trump suggested that Canada should become the “51st state.”
All Canadian party leaders strongly opposed Trump’s remarks.
While campaigning, Poilievre also addressed problems with some of his party’s candidates. In the past two days, the Conservatives dropped four people running for office. One of them, Don Patel, had made troubling comments online. He supported a post suggesting people should be deported to India, where the Indian prime minister could “take care” of them.
Another former candidate, Mark McKenzie, was removed earlier in the week. In 2022, he said on a podcast that he supported public hangings and named Justin Trudeau as someone who should be executed. These remarks came to light recently, leading the party to remove him.
Poilievre said the Conservative vetting process is strict and better than any other party’s. He added that anyone who acts inappropriately will be removed quickly. He also pointed to how the Liberals handled a controversy of their own.
Paul Chiang, a Liberal MP from Markham–Unionville, once suggested that his political rival Joe Tay could be handed over to Chinese authorities to claim a reward. Tay, a Hong Kong resident, had a bounty placed on him for speaking out against the Chinese government. Several human rights groups criticized Chiang’s comments.
Though Chiang apologized, he only stepped down after the RCMP confirmed it was investigating the matter. Mark Carney had earlier called the moment a “teachable one” but later accepted Chiang’s decision to withdraw from the race.
