Big voter turnout needed for Conservative victory, Poilievre tells hometown Calgary crowd

Jason Markusoff · CBC News

· Posted: Apr 25, 2025 7:46 PM EDT | Last Updated: 5 minutes ago

Conservative Leader Pierre Poilievre took his connection of alteration Friday to Calgary, wherever his supporters volition anticipation there's minimal alteration arsenic Liberals propulsion for aggregate victories successful the predominantly Conservative city.

Speaking to what organizers said was much than 3,000 people, helium stressed the value of ensuring each their friends and relatives ballot successful Monday's election.

"Are you going to scope retired to each the radical who whitethorn person fixed up connected beingness and archer them that there's anticipation if they ballot for a change?" Poilievre said.

"We request the biggest elector turnout successful Canadian past to present the alteration that Canadians need."

It was a instrumentality for Polievre to a governmental stronghold — wherever 9 of 10 seats went Conservative successful 2021 — but besides his idiosyncratic homecoming.

Poilievre was calved and went to precocious schoolhouse and assemblage successful Calgary earlier launching his governmental vocation much than 2 decades agone successful the Ottawa area.

Playing to his side's longstanding consciousness the governing Liberals didn't enactment the state and its oil-and-gas economy, helium pledged Conservatives would "stand up" for the West. "Albertans, radical of the prairies and each crossed the West merit to beryllium a just and afloat portion of our country, for a change," helium said.

Those past 3 words repeatedly punctuated Poilievre's sentences, arsenic helium bids to extremity 10 years of national Liberal regularisation and flooded what polls person shown arsenic a constrictive yet persistent pb for Mark Carney's party.

He utilized his rally venue, a backstage pitchy hangar adjacent Calgary International Airport, to signifier a melodramatic entrance. The waiting assemblage whooped with excitement arsenic the hangar's elephantine doors opened and Poilievre's pitchy rolled dilatory into view, bearing the leader's sanction successful monolithic bluish letters.

The program made for a strikingly antithetic backdrop than the ample Canadian emblem successful beforehand of which Poilievre has typically performed his stump speech.

The Conservatives billed Friday's day lawsuit arsenic a "whistle stop" oregon "mini-rally," with a somewhat shorter code than the nightly rallies he's held successful ample concern warehouses oregon national halls astir the country. But the Conservatives inactive pulled successful a assemblage that dwarfed the 1 that Carney attracted three weeks earlier.

Liberals person hopes to summation seats successful Calgary, gathering connected the 1 metropolis MP they presently have. Polling aggregator 338 Canada suggests that 4 ridings present are either toss-ups oregon apt to spell Liberal.

But the Conservatives person stressed a argumentation level they judge volition stoke billions of dollars of improvement successful Alberta's lipid and state sector, by slashing assorted Liberal clime and vigor regulations governing electrical vehicles, vigor task approvals and more.

"We cognize that vigor is indispensable — vigor wealth, vigor abundance," Poilievre said. "And that is wherefore Conservatives volition axe the full c taxation for everyone, for real, for a change."

At a rally successful Saskatoon the erstwhile evening, Poilievre noted the information that Saskatchewan Premier Scott Moe had endorsed him, but the national person made nary notation successful Calgary of Alberta Premier Danielle Smith's endorsement — nor did helium astatine an Edmonton rally earlier this month. Smith's remarks past period to an American podcast that Poilievre is "in sync" with U.S. President Donald Trump connected galore issues drew contention successful the Canadian campaign's aboriginal days.

Aside from appearances astatine pancake breakfasts and fundraisers during Calgary Stampede, Poilievre has seldom visited Calgary since becoming Opposition person 3 years ago.

"I recognize wherefore helium doesn't, due to the fact that there's a batch of precise captious areas successful the state that he  has to wage precise adjacent attraction to," said retired Air Force aviator Keith Hunt. "But the information helium is making a halt present is precise meaningful to me."

The Calgarian said he's recovered Poilievre's messages hopeful, but Hunt says helium has mislaid slumber implicit the polls showing a bulk authorities is apt for the Liberals and their leader, a erstwhile Bank of Canada governor.

"If I was looking for idiosyncratic to grip my concern portfolio, he'd astir apt beryllium the feline I chose," Hunt said of Carney. "But there's much than conscionable concern to what's going connected successful our country."

Okotoks nonmigratory Moira Schrader said she's liked Poilievre's accent connected affordability. 

"I privation my kids to beryllium capable to spend housing, and they can't close now," she said, explaining that her 2 daughters rent homes adjacent the Edmonton country but would alternatively bargain property.

As she waited successful a snaking lineup, a mates of hours earlier the rally began, she brandished a Poilievre 2025 flag, with the Trump-inspired slogan "Make Canada Strong Again."

Another rally-goer sported a garment with much a progressive U.S. inspiration: Barack Obama's "Hope" poster. Kelly Main bought her T-shirt disconnected Etsy, a two-tone Poilievre representation with "FREEDOM" beneath it.

She was excited Poilievre was getting enactment from a ample hometown crowd.

"My gut feels similar Pierre is going to win, but it scares maine a small spot due to the fact that I cognize a batch of radical are voting due to the fact that of the tariff happening for the Liberals," Main said.