Federal Conservative party leader Pierre Poilievre is appointing a “Referendum Lead for Alberta” as he embarks on a summer campaign to “keep Canada united” in the lead-up to a fall separation vote in Alberta.
In a Sunday letter to Conservative caucus member Dane Lloyd – the member of parliament for Parkland – the leader of the official opposition asks Mr. Lloyd to help the party make the case for a “stronger Alberta within a united Canada.”
Lloyd will work alongside Poilievre and the Conservative Alberta caucus to “listen to Albertans, answer their concerns, and lead our work to keep Canada united through hope, respect and real change,” according to the letter.
“We can’t pretend that Albertans don’t have legitimate concerns and grievances. Countless young Albertans, Quebecers and Canadians across the country have lost hope because they don’t believe Canada’s promise is attainable anymore. They don’t see the dream of homeownership becoming their reality, they have to cut back on their diets and they don’t know how they could ever afford to raise a family,” Poilievre said.
The Conservative leader points to policies implemented by the Liberal government that have “attacked Alberta’s energy sector, blocked pipeline.”
“So our task is not to scold Albertans. It is to hear them,” Poilievre said.
Albertans will vote in October on a referendum asking whether the province should pursue a binding vote on separation from Canada.
Poilievre has previously said he’ll be spending much of the summer in Alberta campaigning against separatist sentiment in the province.
“We’ll fight for Canada, including in the upcoming referendum, to win back Albertans — through hope, not by wagging our fingers or lecturing them,” Poilievre told a crowd of supporters at the Calgary Stampede earlier this month.
In this new letter announcing the appointment, Poilievre says what is good for Alberta is good for Canada.
“More pipelines, more homes, lower taxes, safer streets, stronger borders and more freedom will help workers and families in every province,” he says. “The answer is not for Albertans to pull away from Canadians. It is for Canadians to lock arms with Albertans.”
Lloyd represents the Alberta riding of Parkland and has been a Conservative MP since 2017.
“Dane, you know Alberta. It’s why your fellow Albertan colleagues put their faith in you as caucus chair. You know its pride, grit, work ethic and deep love of freedom. You also know that Albertans are not asking for a handout. They are asking for respect,” the letter reads.
“I have every confidence that you will bring that respect, resolve and hope to this work. And I know that your service to our country in the Armed Forces has given you the fortitude needed to help lead the Conservative response to this referendum.”
