Liberal Leader Mark Carney says he governs for all of Canada and called prominent conservative Preston Manning’s comments on Western independence “dramatic” during a campaign stop in Montreal on Friday.
In a recent op-ed for the Globe and Mail, the Reform Party founder pointed to the deep-rooted feelings of Western alienation among some voters and argued support for independence will boil over if the Liberals are re-elected April 28.
“Voters, particularly in central and Atlantic Canada, need to recognize that a vote for the Carney Liberals is a vote for Western secession — a vote for the breakup of Canada as we know it,” Manning wrote.
“The next prime minister of Canada, if it remains Mark Carney, would then be identified in the history books, tragically and needlessly, as the last prime minister of a united Canada.”
Manning said the push for secession is rooted in Alberta and Saskatchewan, provinces long angered by the Liberals’ natural resource policies, but has the potential to spread to Manitoba, British Columbia and the territories.
“I think such dramatic comments are unhelpful at a time when Canadians are coming together,” said Carney, noting he was born in the Northwest Territories and grew up in Edmonton.
“I am part of a government that governs for all of the country, and very much for the West.”
Manning’s comments land amid a renewed defence of Canadian sovereignty and pride as U.S President Donald Trump continues to wage a trade war.
“We are coming together as a country,” said Carney. “I would note that the leader of the Opposition encouraged greater unity.”
On Thursday, Conservative Leader Pierre Poilievre distanced himself from his former boss’s views.
Poilievre, who as a teenager worked under Manning in the Reform Party before the creation of the modern-day Conservative Party, gave a simple “no” when asked if he agreed with the opinion piece.
“We need to unite the country. We need to bring all Canadians together in a spirit of common ground,” said Poilievre during a stop in Kingston, Ont.
Conservative Leader Pierre Poilievre, speaking from Kingston, Ont., on Day 12 of the election campaign, responds to a question about an op-ed by Reform Party founder Preston Manning who argued Western Canada will secede if the Liberals win the election.
Carney said he will head to Western Canada next week as the 36-day election campaign enters its third week.
The Conservatives continue to maintain a strong lead in Alberta and across the Prairies, according to the CBC Poll Tracker, while the Liberals are narrowly ahead in British Columbia.
