Poilievre has to contend with Alberta separatists as he vies for a Commons seat

Conservative Leader Pierre Poilievre's way backmost to the House of Commons runs done a agrarian Alberta riding that has go a hotbed for Western discontent and the independency question — a perchance tricky concern to navigate for a person with nationalist ambitions.

Poilievre, a Calgarian by commencement who has lived distant from Alberta for much than 2 decades, is moving successful the Aug. 18 byelection successful Battle River-Crowfoot, a sprawling riding successful the province's eastbound wherever the lipid and state manufacture is simply a major employer. It includes the tiny municipality of Hardisty, which sits astatine the nexus of the North American lipid pipeline strategy and is location to a immense petroleum vessel farm.

The riding is easy 1 of the astir Conservative successful the country. In the past wide election, astir 83 per cent of voters determination formed a ballot for Damien Kurek, who stepped speech to springiness Poilievre a accidental to get backmost into Parliament aft helium mislaid his ain Ontario spot to a Liberal. Only 1 different national riding, Souris-Moose Mountain successful Saskatchewan, delivered a higher stock of the ballot to a Conservative candidate.

Months aft erstwhile premier curate Justin Trudeau resigned, homes and trucks inactive show "F--k Trudeau" signs, flags and decals — a testament to conscionable however unpopular the past Liberal leader's biology policies and COVID measures were among some in this riding.

While Poilievre faces lone token partisan absorption successful this byelection, there's different challenge: How helium contends with an progressively vocal separatist question successful the Conservative heartland.

Jeffrey Rath is simply a person of the Alberta Prosperity Project. The radical is trying to physique enactment for an autarkic Alberta, which the province's premier says is astatine an all-time high. A caller poll found enactment astatine astir 30 per cent.

In an interrogation with CBC News, Rath said the byelection result is not successful doubt. 

"People can't tummy voting for anyone else," helium said.

Still, Rath said, independence-minded voters are looking for substantive answers from Poilievre connected the issues they attraction astir most, namely however Alberta tin beryllium amended treated successful a federation immoderate consciousness isn't moving for them anymore.

He predicts Poilievre volition sidestep arguable issues and a adjacent relation with separatist voices truthful helium tin spell backmost to Ottawa and vie for nationalist powerfulness without immoderate Alberta baggage.

"Poilievre ran successful the past predetermination against the extremity of equalization. The dairy cartel-mafia has gotten to him — helium says he's not going to interaction proviso management," Rath said.

"He's pandering to Ontario and Quebec and I tin archer you, a batch of Albertans, we're sick of it."

Rath, a First Nations rights lawyer who has floated the thought of Alberta joining the U.S., besides objects to what helium perceives arsenic Poilievre's hostility toward President Donald Trump.

He said Poilievre should beryllium looking to physique bridges with Trump fixed the value of the Canada-U.S. trading relationship.

"He's sycophantically pursuing the Liberals, trying to bushed them astatine their ain game," Rath said. "People successful Alberta aren't overly impressed with Pierre close now."

Rath wants a much assertive stance connected equalization successful particular — long vilified successful Alberta arsenic sucking wealth retired of the affluent West.

The national programme is designed to guarantee each parts of the state person astir the aforesaid level of nationalist services by transferring wealth to places determined to beryllium "have-not" provinces.

Funded from the national government's wide revenues (such arsenic national income tax), provinces bash not lend to the program. Poilievre has promised not to marque immoderate "big changes" to the regime, if helium forms a government.

"These places request to run wrong their ain means to halt bleeding Alberta dry. Those days are over," Rath said. "If you can't accidental you're going to combat against equalization past you don't beryllium successful Alberta.

"Get the hellhole out. We don't privation you anymore."

Rath besides wants Poilievre to backmost Senate reform, saying it's unconscionable that Alberta, with immoderate 5 cardinal people, lone has six seats successful the Red Chamber portion P.E.I. and its astir 180,000 radical are represented by 4 senators. This law statement has been successful spot for much than a period to springiness smaller provinces a dependable successful Parliament.

"He could show that he's much than a one-trick pony stupidly repeating 'axe the tax,'" Rath said. "But, really, what Poilievre represents is simply a continuation of the presumption quo that each of america are fed up with."

Still, Poilievre has his supporters successful the riding.

Drumheller Mayor Heather Colberg was by Poilievre's side arsenic helium took portion successful the town's Canada Day parade connected Tuesday.

The municipality of astir 8,000 people, situated astir an hr and a fractional northeast of Calgary, is 1 of the riding's largest colonisation centres. It's known arsenic the "dinosaur superior of the world," due to the fact that of its affluent fossil deposits and the Royal Tyrrell Museum of Palaeontology.

Colberg said Poilievre isn't phoning it successful — he's showing up to conscionable voters and perceive their concerns, which she said are focused connected fairness for Alberta.

In summation to Drumheller, Poilievre was besides successful Hanna, wearing a reddish and achromatic "Truth North, beardown and free" T-shirt for the nation's birthday, according to societal media posts.

Even earlier the byelection was called, Poilievre was stumping for votes successful Camrose, Hay Lakes, Hardisty and Wainwright, among different places.

"Mr. Poilievre seems precise honorable and genuine," Colberg said.

"And if Damien believes this is the close determination for our area, I spot Damien's choice," she said, referring to the outgoing MP.

Kurek said helium wasn't disposable to talk but told CBC News successful a connection the "good radical of Battle River-Crowfoot emotion Pierre Poilievre."

Poilievre's Alberta ties are what sold Colberg connected his imaginable arsenic an MP for the riding.

"If idiosyncratic came from the acold eastbound and ne'er been portion of Alberta, past that would beryllium a spot different. He does person immoderate roots," she said. "He understands agrarian Alberta. We are 1 of the bluest constituencies successful Canada but he's not taking that lightly and that's huge."

With truthful galore section jobs tied to the vigor sector, Colberg said she wants Poilievre to combat for the lipid and state industry.

She besides expects Poilievre to assistance archer Alberta's communicative to the remainder of the state to effort and tamp down determination resentment, saying she's a arrogant Canadian who conscionable wants Confederation to enactment amended for her province.

"We gotta retrieve however blessed we are with each of these resources. We person the quality to usage them to assistance america all, not conscionable successful Alberta," she said.

"I emotion Canada and I don't privation to spot it split. But astatine the aforesaid clip determination has to beryllium idiosyncratic astatine the apical who understands Alberta."

Poilievre says he's that idiosyncratic — telling reporters precocious he's against Alberta separation but understands Albertans person "a batch of morganatic grievances."

The past Liberal government's determination to termination 1 large pipeline, Northern Gateway, and necktie up another, Energy East, successful reddish portion earlier its eventual cancellation, positive the national emissions headdress and the concern c terms are the basal causes of the Alberta independency movement, Poilievre said.

"Frankly, Albertans person the close to beryllium frustrated," helium said. "They merit to beryllium honoured for the immense contributions they marque to this country. I volition beryllium a unifier."

A spokesperson for Poilievre did not respond to a petition for a comment for this story.

WATCH | Poilievre says Albertans 'have a close to beryllium frustrated':

Michael Solberg, a past governmental staffer and campaigner for blimpish parties successful Alberta and elsewhere, said the separatist question won't beryllium overmuch of a origin successful Poilievre's race.

Pointing to the caller provincial byelection successful agrarian Olds-Didsbury-Three Hills wherever the separatist campaigner got 18 per cent of the ballot and placed 3rd down the NDP, Solberg said the independency question is "far much bark than bite."

Plus, with dozens or potentially hundreds of candidates expected connected the byelection ballot arsenic portion of an electoral betterment protest, anti-Poilievre choices could divided the ballot and dilute the powerfulness of separatists, helium said.

"I've seen nary grounds that indicates occidental oregon Alberta separation volition beryllium a hurdle for the Conservative question here," helium said.

But Poilievre volition beryllium forced to code the halfway contented of the separatists, Solberg said, which is "ensuring Alberta gets a just shingle from Ottawa."

And that's thing Poilievre tin do, helium said, pointing to the leader's past ties to the Reform Party, which had "the West wants in" arsenic its mantra successful the 1990s.

"Pierre is surely nary alien to speaking to the issues that folks attraction astir successful a riding that's the beating bosom of Conservatism," Solberg said.

"I deliberation this is simply a cakewalk script for him. He's going to triumph successful a landslide."