Poilievre tells party delegates to have hope in speech that confronts Alberta, Quebec separatism 

CALGARY — Conservative Leader Pierre Poilievre urged party delegates to have hope in a speech delivered before they voted on his leadership Friday, which also sought to confront rising separatism in Alberta and Quebec by blaming it on the Liberals.

Speaking before a crowd at a Calgary convention centre Friday night, Poilievre spoke for more than 40 minutes in an address that blended together some of his most popular pledges on affordability and crime, with how he sees the country’s current challenges, from dealing with rising separatism to U.S. tariffs.

At the heart of Poilievre’s speech was his effort to show Conservatives why they should vote to keep him as the party’s leader, with his address emphasizing themes of unity and hope for both the party and country.

“We stand united, tonight, together, always, because this country, its people and promise, are worth fighting for,” he told the crowd.

“Because while some say this is as good as it gets, we know the best is yet to come,” Poilievre concluded his address, which was met with thunderous applause.

The 46-year-old party leader walked out to the ’80s rock anthem “Don’t Stop Believin'” by the band Journey, a message Poilievre tried to convey in his speech to what the party estimates was more than 2,500 delegates voting on his future, gathered over the three-day convention in Calgary.

With chants of “Pierre, Pierre,” breaking out at times and members of the crowd rising to their feet several times as he spoke, there was little doubt in the room about his chances, with many Conservatives expecting Poilievre to have a strong showing.

One of the biggest moments of applause Poilievre received was when his speech turned personal.

At one point, as he spoke about meaning and what defined it for different people, from home ownership to having a family, he included on that list “seeing your autistic daughter speak for the first time,” a reference to Poilievre’s personal life and his young daughter, Valentina.

He also spoke about the toll that his job, which Poilievre has held since September 2022, has taken on him and his family, telling the crowd about looking at a paper cut-out that his son, Cruz, made for him of Spider-man, during nights away on the road, and how he has “too often” kissed his daughter and wife a goodnight “through FaceTime.”

“So why keep going,” Poilievre asked the crowd rhetorically.

“Because we want our kids to have the same promise that we had.”

Signs with the words, “restore Canada’s promise, “choose hope,” and “for an affordable life,” were placed on delegate’s chairs, which they waved as Poilievre spoke.

As he did, some delegates left the room to begin voting. They were greeted by paper instructions being handed out indicating for them to check “yes” next to a box to the question of whether Poilievre should stay on as leader.

During his speech, Poilievre touted the victories the party saw during the last election, celebrating the fact that was it now “ the party of workers,” referring to the fact more union and blue-collar workers had flocked to the party, allowing it to flip NDP ridings in Ontario and Vancouver Island. 

Still, he used his address to name one of the widespread complaints delegates in the room, many of whom served as volunteers and candidates during the last campaign had, which was the number of last-minute candidate appointments in dozens of ridings, which angered local grassroots members.

“Now obviously, elections teach us lessons, like for example, the need to hold earlier and open nominations, to have more local autonomy, to empower our local rights associations,” which he referred to as the “backbone” of the party.

“I want to thank all of you in this room who provided such valuable input in the lead up to and throughout this convention,” Poilievre said.

Earlier in the day, party delegates gathered to debate and vote on proposed changes to the party’s constitution, with many focused on the nomination process for candidates.

Before he spoke, Poilievre was introduced by a video featuring his wife, Ana Poilievre, narrating his promises to fight for the Canadian promise, chock full of images from the jam-packed rallies that were staples of the Conservatives’ most recent election campaign.

“When you start something, you never give up,” he told the crowd at one point.

While Poilievre lost last year’s election, which delivered the Liberals the party’s fourth consecutive victory, the Conservative leader used his speech on Friday to emphasize the public debates he says the party won, including on the consumer carbon tax, crime and drug addiction.

The Conservative leader, who is the party’s first leader in more than two decades to undergo a leadership review since former prime minister Stephen Harper lost the 2004 election, used his address to try to put a more hopeful stamp on his tenure with the party.

It comes as Canadians’ worries over U.S. President Donald Trump’s threats against Greenland and ongoing tariffs have been raised in recent weeks, with Poilievre pledging in Parliament to strike a less partisan tone and collaborate with Prime Minister Mark Carney’s government.

He used Friday’s speech to emphasize the need for national unity, specifically addressing the rising separatist sentiments in Alberta and Quebec, warning how they had “awakened,” under federal Liberal rule.

“We need to unite this country like ever before because a house divided cannot stand.”

While Poilievre in his speech underscored the need for Canada to find new allies and how it was grappling with global disruptions from U.S. tariffs, he did not mention Trump by name.

Speaking to CBC on Friday evening, former Alberta Premier Jason Kenney overall praised Poilievre’s speech but said it did not address the “800-pound gorilla in the room” that is U.S. President Donald Trump.

“I think there’s still a lot of Canadians who wake up in the morning, they hear the latest crazy thing Trump has said about us, and then what they want, whoever the leader is, of any party, to be in the corner, fighting that nonsense,” he said.

Kenney has been on Postmedia’s board of directors since March 2025.

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