Pierre Poilievre speaks in Calgary ahead of Alberta referendum

Thank you very much, Michael, and thank you, Calgary. It is wonderful to be gathered here with all of you at Canada Strong and Free. I like the way that sounds. Strong and Free. That's what we want for Alberta. That's what we want for Canada. In fact, over the last several months since this referendum was called, Conservatives, under the leadership of a group called Conservatives for Canada, led by Dame Lloyd have been campaigning door knocking on thousands of doors i've been to 28 different events this is my third keynote address in a major center we've raised money and pushed the message of a strong and free Alberta within a united Canada that's what we believe in obviously we're working to save you money save your job keep you safe cap immigration but our mission in all of these things is to put Canada first. Notre parti se bat pour vous économiser, protéger votre emploi, assurer votre sécurité, réduire l'immigration, mais notre mission centrale c'est de mettre le Canada d'abord. And Monday, Albertans will be voting on a referendum to have another referendum on whether to separate from Canada. Now, their option is to do that or to vote to stay within the country, to continue to work for the promise of Canada. a more affordable safe and independent country here at home but the referendum question itself really invites yet another question what is it you're voting to potentially separate from what does it mean to be a Canadian Wilfred Laurier was asked this question and he asked he was asked what is the nationality of a country like Canada he couldn't answer it the way many European countries might have done. They would have answered based on race, ethnicity, or sect. But we were already mixed up in Canada. We had people from all over the place. We had the indigenous, the Englishmen, the Frenchmen, the Scots, the Irish, and countless others. And so he could not answer based on a sect. Instead, he said, Canada is free, and freedom is its nationality. For individuals, Canada's freedom means the freedom to speak your mind, to practice your faith, to own property, to work hard, to earn the rewards. It means for entrepreneurs that they have the freedom to thrive in a free market. And it means that a province has the freedom to decide what it wants to do within its own backyard. Freedom and promise are really the two words that I felt the greatest growing up in Calgary, Alberta. I remember those early mornings, too early sometimes, when my dad would drive me out to Okotoks for hockey practice And we'd see the sun slowly come up over the pink sky across the prairies, see the mountain range. My dad would have some country music rattling away on the radio. And I just felt like I had the freedom and the promise to achieve anything I wanted. I mean, I didn't achieve what I wanted at that time, which was to become an NHL hockey player. So I had to settle for politician. But the reality is I looked around my neighborhood at that time, and I saw people who were achieving great lives. They worked as electricians, carpenters, plumbers, police officers, in the case of my parents, teachers. And they were able to earn a great life, own a home, and build a future for their kids. But as I got older, and I went to University of Calgary, and in between pub nights, read about our political history and how we got where we are, I realize that the freedom that we enjoyed in this province did not just fall out of the prairie sky. Our English ancestors evolved it into existence starting in the 13th century. It was passed down the ages, jumped over the pond, crystallized in our parliamentary system, and was inherited by Albertans when we joined Confederation in 1905. And that's the thing. Conservatives understand. Everything great comes from something before us. Countries don't happen by accident. They're built and passed down. Conservatives are the heir to the political tradition that built Canada. We are the party of Confederation, the party of John A. MacDonald. We united this country across a disparate land. We brought different people together. Think of what the fathers had to do to bring about Confederation. Different regions, different economies, different priorities, vastly different interests. Yet, they believed in something remarkable. They believed that the people of British North America could accomplish more together than they would apart. So they built. They built a federation, a railroad. They built a country. One of the most successful, peaceful, free, and prosperous nations the world had ever known. The conservative tradition has been to pass down through the ages what came before us. In the words of Burke, it's the contract between the dead, the living, and the yet-to-be-born. And it's the promise that each of those generations will be a little better off than the one that came before. So time and again, Conservatives and Canadians, we chose hope over despair, building over blocking, unity over division. And Alberta was one of the great beneficiaries of that vision. It's a testament to what people can build when they have the freedom to do so. It's such a precious inheritance we have here in Alberta. Let's face it, this inheritance that we had has been defended in town halls and on battlefields, with bullets overseas and ballots over here. I say all that because it's easy to take for granted the things that we have. It's easy to forget that none of this, none of this that we have in Canada came easy. Many worked, more suffered, some even died so that we could have the country that we have today. They had to be strong so that we could be free. In two world wars, the strength of our people meant having the courage to do the right thing and see it through to the final hour. Our soldiers, sailors, and air crew, they showed up again and again in Korea, Cyprus, Bosnia, Afghanistan, countless other places. More than 118,000 Canadians gave their lives for this country and our freedom. Thousands of them from right here in Alberta. That is the true north, strong and free. The men and women, yes, give them a round of applause too. Thank you. The men and women who built this province, they weren't quitters. If they had been, they'd never have made it here in the first place. They had to travel by boat and train and horse carriage and even by foot to make it across the vast expanse, the second largest nation on earth. We owe it to them to stay and fight for what they sacrificed to build. To fight for Canada, to fight for the freedom and the strength that sometimes feels like we've lost. and to build our country back up again. So, you know, with this inheritance, with all these blessings, with all the wonder of which I speak, I think a lot of you are asking, why are there some that want to leave? Why is it that there are those who have lost hope? Now, if you ask them, they won't say anything bad about Canada or their fellow Canadians. They don't talk badly about our country, its people, its history, its achievements, its flag. In fact, many of them still love Canada. Some have told me that they are frustrated patriots. They're men and women who put on Team Canada maple leaf jerseys and cheered their country in Olympic Games. They celebrated when Sidney Crosby scored the golden goal, and the older ones still remember screaming their voices hoarse when Henderson beat the Russians. With pride, with joy, they even shed tears at times in those special moments that united and bound together our country. It's the same love that will bring pain to them when they hear the trumpet play the last post on Remembrance Day just a few weeks from now. You see, deep down, I think these people still love Canada. So why are they voting to have a referendum on potentially leaving the country? Well, most will tell you that they have complaints with the government in Ottawa. I can relate to a few of those complaints. They feel like the country has moved away from its foundations and denied its basic promise. Youngsters are frustrated they can no longer afford homes. Working folks can't understand why the grocery prices are so high and they can't afford food and fuel. Trades workers wonder why our government keeps our resources in the ground and their opportunities down there with it. They see immigration that's out of control and a justice system that turns loose violent criminals on our streets. All Albertans wonder why they send so much to Ottawa in tax dollars and get so little in return. But here's the thing. There are Canadians right across the country that wonder the very same things. To those people who are thinking about taking out their frustration on the current government by voting for separation in the referendum, I say this. Canada is more than a government. It is a people, a flag, a land, a history, and a promise. What you really want, what you really want to restore, is the Canada that you knew and still love. With solid borders, safe streets, affordable food, homes, boundless resource wealth, and opportunity for everyone. A country with a common history and identity that holds it all together. That is the Canada that we all knew and still love. That is the core of who we are. So our real goal should not be separation. It should be restoration. It should not be to tear down our country, but to build it up. It should be to build a country on the solid and the oldest foundation. The answer, therefore, is more than ever, we need to be more Canadian than we ever have been. Freer than ever, stronger than ever, prouder than ever, richer and more affordable than ever. But to do that, we must stay and fight for our country. And that's what Conservatives will do. Quitting is the easy way out. And Albertans are not quitters. We don't just take our ball and go home. We don't walk away. We stand and fight for what we believe in. And we reflect upon all that we have. Alberta's story is one of hardworking men and women who never gave up, turning prairie grasslands and forests into treasure chests of riches. Farmers and forest workers, ranchers and rig hands, entrepreneurs and explorers, artists and adventurers, warriors and workers, pioneers and patriots, all living the promise of Canada. For most of our history, Canada allowed us as Albertans the freedom to fulfill our potential and become the richest place at various times, the richest place anywhere on earth. Remembering this partnership is important because much of this referendum debate has rightly focused on what Alberta has done for Canada. And it's easy to focus on the flaws of the country. But while we focus on those things, we must not forget and we must not ignore what Canada has done for Alberta. Some things are obvious. The railway, the highway, all of the national infrastructure that connects us through the country to the rest of the world. Being part of this means that we're part of the second largest country anywhere on Earth. We are part of a country that is 25 times the size, has seven times the GDP, and eight times the people than we would have on our own. We have a vital link through this massive land of ours, through to the sea, from Vancouver to Asia, from Halifax to Europe. We are the second biggest country in the world, but the biggest when it comes to oceanic coastline, a bigger market, a bigger military, and a bigger landmass. It all means that we have more room to travel, more room to breathe, more room to trade, more room to grow than we would have if we were isolated and alone. It means being freer and more open than we would be by ourselves. We can choose. We can choose to be part of that bigger vision. Or we can ensure that we close the door and limit the size and the strength of our people. Part of our mission should be to be a bigger and even more powerful Alberta. To move an entire nation in the direction we want. To lead the nation. To become bigger, bolder, and more hopeful. Stretching from sea to sea to sea. Leaving all that behind would make us smaller. Perhaps more importantly, it would mean leaving behind the people that we love across this country. So my message to Albertans is this. Don't leave your fellow Canadians behind. Lock arms with them. Lock arms with Canadians who want to restore the promise of Canada. Lock arms with Newfoundland and Labrador and their mission to double oil and gas production. Lock arms with Quebecers who want to have full autonomy over their provincial jurisdiction, just like we Albertans do. We are uniting our forces with the Quebecers who want a country where people have the means to buy houses and feed themselves, to create businesses, to build a family, to protect our friends and to defend our culture. Lock arms with Indigenous Canadians to stop the federal government's gun grab and let our hunters, farmers and sports shooters keep their property. Lock arms with the police unions in Ontario who are crying out for tougher criminal justice so that we can keep their communities and ours safe. Lock arms with BC to build LNG liquefaction terminals so we can liquefy that gas and sell it for hundreds of billions of dollars overseas, making our province even richer. Lock arms with ambitious, hard-working young people for homes, jobs, and hope right across the country. Lock arms with all Canadians to save money and jobs, to keep people safe, to cap immigration, and to put Canada first. Lock arms for the affordable, safe, and independent Canada we all deserve. Now, I've tried to be the voice for the voiceless, Those whose lives have grown particularly hard over the last several years. And many of them are right here. Many of you are right here in Alberta. And I know what you're thinking. That the vote on Monday is a chance to sound the alarm. To put out a distress signal. Maybe even just to send a message. Your frustration is understandable. But your problem, our problem, is not with our fellow Canadians. We're in this together. The Windsor waitress I met the other day working three jobs to feed her kids has the same struggle as the single mom in Wainwright. The 35-year-old couple in New Brunswick that can't afford a home has the same fight as the rural Alberta couple. Put a miner from northern Ontario next to an oil sands worker in Fort Mac or an offshore worker from Newfoundland. In fact, many of them all work together and travel together across the country. I think there's even a petition going around to make Fort Mac part of Newfoundland and Labrador. We're all one, same goals, same values, same struggles, same people. We have many faces from many places, but we are one people and we must stick together. From Tofield to Timmins, Drumheller to Drummondville, St. John's to St. Albert, from Calgary to Cambridge to Corner Brook to Cranbrook, we are all Canadians. Let's unite around what we have in common rather than tearing ourselves apart by what divides. values, common history, common purpose, common sense for a common people. In the words of the great prairie populist Prime Minister John Diefenbaker, I am a Canadian, a free Canadian, free to speak without fear, free to worship God in my own way, free to stand for what I think right, free to oppose what I believe wrong, free to choose those who shall govern my country. This heritage of freedom I pledge to uphold for myself and for all of mankind. God bless a strong Alberta within a united Canada. Thank you very much.