‘We need to unite the country,’ Poilievre says after Manning warns of looming crisis

Conservative Leader Pierre Poilievre holds an election rally in Kingston, Ont., on Wednesday, April 2, 2025. THE CANADIAN PRESS/Sean Kilpatrick

KINGSTON — Pierre Poilievre called for national unity in the middle of a federal election and a worsening trade dispute with the United States -- rejecting comments made by a prominent figure in conservative politics.

“We need to unite the country. We need to bring all Canadians together in a spirit of common ground,” the Conservative leader said Thursday in Kingston, Ont.

Poilievre was responding to a question about a recent opinion article by Preston Manning, former leader of the Reform Party of Canada, a predecessor of the modern federal Conservative party.

Manning warned of a “Western secession” crisis if the Liberals win a fourth term in government, arguing that some provinces in the region would seek to separate from Canada.

“Large numbers of Westerners simply will not stand for another four years of Liberal government, no matter who leads it,” Manning wrote in an op-ed published in The Globe and Mail on Wednesday.

Polling aggregator 338 Canada suggests there’s a stark regional divide in this country. If current polling holds, Poilievre’s Conservatives are projected to win 50 of the 65 federal seats in Alberta, Saskatchewan and Manitoba, while Prime Minister Mark Carney’s Liberals would win a majority with 198 seats overall.

The divide is not new. When Justin Trudeau came to power in the 2015 election, the Liberals won in 184 ridings, sweeping Atlantic Canada entirely but winning only 12 seats in the Prairies. Alberta and Saskatchewan were almost completely Tory blue.

Much of Poilievre’s early political experience came from working with the Reform Party in Alberta. But on Thursday, he did not echo Manning’s claim that a Liberal victory would spell the end of a united Canada.

Poilievre stuck closely to his core campaign messages by railing against the incumbent Liberals’ policies and calling for a Conservative government to stand up to U.S. President Donald Trump’s trade hostility.

Manitoba NDP Premier Wab Kinew said he is proud of Canada Thursday when asked about Western separatism sentiment by reporters outside his office.

He added that current tensions with the U.S. are driving a wave of national pride across the country.

“I think the voices saying, ‘Let’s continue to build this country up together,’ far, far outweigh any of the other voices out there,” Kinew said.

The Canadian Press asked Alberta Premier Danielle Smith for her reaction to Manning’s article after an event in Calgary on Thursday but she said she hadn’t read the piece.

Poilievre announced Thursday a plan to cut federal sales tax from Canadian-made vehicles to support an auto industry reeling from Trump’s tariffs.

“Everyone who’s looking to buy Canadian, to support Canadian workers, will be able to save money as a result of this announcement,” he said.

A list of eligible new vehicles provided to media by the Conservative party include the Toyota RAV4, the Honda Civic and CRV, the Chevrolet Silverado and others from automakers with plants in Ontario.

Poilievre said Thursday that waiving the GST on a qualifying $50,000 automobile would save the buyer $2,500.

He also called on the premiers to waive their portion of the sales tax, a move he claimed would save up to $7,000 on the same qualifying vehicle.

The tax cut would be temporary and would last for as long as U.S. tariffs on vehicles are in place.

The New Democratic Party noted Thursday that the Conservative announcement was similar to NDP Leader Jagmeet Singh’s promise a week earlier to waive the GST on purchases of Canadian cars.

Poilievre was in Kingston -- a few hours east of the province’s automotive corridor -- to speak alongside workers at Cancoil Thermal, a plant specializing in commercial air conditioning units.

Thursday’s event was the first time during the campaign the Conservative leader’s podium was empty of slogans or pledges. Unused signs bearing the message “cut red tape by 25 per cent” were seen lying on the floor at the plant.

His announcement came a day after Trump launched a wave of tariffs that are roiling global markets and the auto industry.

Poilievre held a rally in Oshawa, Ont., on Thursday evening, which was interrupted several times by medical emergencies.

Some in the crowd held “Canada First” signs, while others held their phones high to take pictures of him.

Gene Kerr, who has been a Conservative supporter his whole life, said he will vote for the Conservatives again because Poilievre speaks the truth.

“I will gladly vote for him,” he said. “Because anybody is better than the guy from out of town, out of the country.”

Beverly Bilinski, another supporter, said she attended the rally to support Poilievre in becoming Canada’s next prime minister.

“He is a Canadian through and through, and we need to axe the tax, build new homes and stop the crime,” she said. “I think we have had a really long, hard nine years, and it is time for change, and it is time for a good change.”

Carney announced on Thursday that Canada would respond with retaliatory tariffs that match Trump’s tariff of 25 per cent on vehicles that don’t comply with the Canada-U.S.-Mexico Agreement on trade.

Poilievre said he does not consider the U.S. to be a “reliable trading partner right now” because Trump “consistently betrays” Canada.

He said that if he becomes prime minister, he’ll call Trump immediately after taking office to demand an accelerated renegotiation of CUSMA.

Poilievre also announced a value of $3 billion for a previously announced fund aimed at businesses hit by the tariffs to keep their workers employed through the trade dispute.

Speaking alongside Poilievre on Thursday was Bryan Paterson, Conservative candidate for Kingston and the Islands, currently on leave as the city’s mayor.

He’s running against incumbent Liberal MP Mark Gerretsen, Paterson’s predecessor as Kingston mayor.

Poilievre was asked Thursday about the Conservatives’ vetting practices after the party lost several candidates from its slate over the course of two days. Some of those candidates resigned while others were pushed out over offensive comments.

He was specifically asked about Paterson’s previous membership in the Third Day Worship Centre, a non-denominational Christian church in the city previously accused of engaging in conversion therapy -- a pseudo-scientific practice that attempts to change an individual’s sexual orientation or identity.

“Mr. Paterson renounced conversion therapy years ago. And so the question is not accurate,” Poilievre said.

Paterson said he left Third Day Worship Centre in 2020 after video surfaced of a pastor at the church making disparaging comments about the LGBTQ2 community.

“I do not support conversion therapy,” the candidate told The Canadian Press after the event.

He said he supported a ban on conversion therapy at Kingston city council and spoke to members of the local LGBTQ2 community to voice his support for equality after leaving his church.

Poilievre contrasted the flood of Conservative departures with the case of Paul Chiang, who withdrew as a Liberal candidate after suggesting that a Conservative running in another riding could be turned over to Chinese officials for a bounty.

Carney had called the incident a “teachable moment” but did not call for Chiang’s removal.

“Our vetting process is stronger than all the other parties. That’s why we have a zero tolerance for anyone who acts unacceptably,” Poilievre said.

— Written by Craig Lord in Ottawa and Sarah Ritchie in Kingston, Ont., with files from Matthew Scace in Calgary and Steve Lambert in Winnipeg

This report by The Canadian Press was first published April 3, 2025.