Poilievre repudiates Trump's 51st state threats, pitches new policies at 'Canada First' rally
Conservative leader says Canada ‘will bear any burden’ to protect sovereignty
Surrounded by hundreds of supporters wearing red and white, Conservative Leader Pierre Poilievre firmly repudiated U.S. President Donald Trump's 51st state threats and said Canada "will bear any burden" to protect its sovereignty during a rally in Ottawa.
"Sometimes it does take a threat to remind us what we have, what we could lose and what we could become. The unjustified threats of tariffs and 51st statehood of Donald Trump have united our people to defend the country we love," Poilievre said.
The Conservative leader's "Canada First" rally took place on Saturday afternoon at the Rogers Centre, steps away from Parliament Hill. The event also happened on the 60th anniversary of Canada adopting the red-and-white maple leaf flag.
In the background, Trump's threat of sweeping tariffs and continual talk of annexation have shifted Canadians' focus in recent weeks, polling shows, with the Conservatives' long-held double-digit lead narrowing.
Poilievre said Canada has leverage it can use against the United States, such as critical minerals and uranium.
He also laid out his tariff response plan that includes dollar-for-dollar retaliatory tariffs, with 100 per cent of the proceeds going toward reimbursing businesses and workers affected by American tariffs on Canadian goods.
"Not one penny will go to government spending," Poilievre vowed.
The Conservative leader also delivered a sharp message to the U.S. if it proceeds with tariffs: "You will turn a loyal friend into a resentful neighbour, forced to match tariff-for-tariff and to seek friends everywhere else."
- Do you have questions about U.S. President Donald Trump's calls for Canada to become the 51st state? Send an email to ask@cbc.ca
"Both our economies will weaken, leaving less money for defence and security, and our enemies will grow stronger," Poilievre said.
Later in his speech, he said Canadians "are slow to anger and quick to forgive, but never confuse our kindness with weakness."
"We will bear any burden and pay any price to protect the sovereignty and independence of our country."
Poilievre pitches economic policies
The Conservative leader made a series of policy announcements that he argued would "unleash production of our resources," strengthen Canada's economy and "allow us to be self-sufficient."
Poilievre said a Conservative government would incentivize Indigenous leaders to support resource projects by letting companies pay a share of federal corporate taxes to local First Nations — and that money could be used for clean drinking water.
Within 60 days of taking office, Poilievre said he would repeal Bill C-69, also known as the Impact Assessment Act (IAA), which came into force in 2019. It allowed federal regulators to consider the potential environmental and social impacts of various resource and infrastructure projects.
In October 2023, the Supreme Court of Canada ruled that some sections of the IAA were unconstitutional. Some parts of the law were found to fall within federal jurisdiction, but the court said other sections were too broad.
Poilievre said he would replace the IAA with a new law that gets projects approved within a year of an application. He also promised to greenlight federal permits for resource projects in the Ring of Fire in northern Ontario.
The Conservative leader also said he supports "a national west-to-east pipeline from the Prairies to Saint John, New Brunswick."
Finally, Poilievre promised to bring together Canada's premiers within 30 days of becoming prime minister to dismantle interprovincial trade barriers that hinder Canada's economy. He's also promised to give the increased tax revenue from cutting trade barriers back to the provinces.
"We will be a self-reliant, sovereign country that stands on its own two feet," Poilievre said.
As for Poilievre's longtime principal slogan — axing the carbon tax — he argued Trump's tariff threats mean scrapping carbon pricing "will be an even bigger issue in the coming election than we thought."
Removing the carbon tax has long been the focal point of the Conservatives' pitch to Canadians, but recently it's been featured less prominently, as Prime Minister Justin Trudeau prepares to leave office and the leading candidates vying to replace him promise to ditch the consumer carbon price.
Radio-Canada reported earlier this month that the Conservatives were conducting internal surveys to adapt the party's message with the changing political reality.
Poilievre released a video earlier this week in which he said he's encouraging everyone, regardless of their political allegiance, to raise Canadian flags this weekend.
And on Thursday, the party touted a new ad featuring Poilievre's wife, Anaida, where the couple raise a Canadian flag together and speak of working to "bring home Canada's promise."
Liberals respond to Poilievre
Speaking to reporters outside the building where Poilievre's rally was set to take place, Immigration Minister Marc Miller said he swung by to "make sure the flags were the right side up."
"You can't say that Canada is broken and at the same time say that Canada is the best country in the world. The two just don't go together," Miller said, a swipe at the Conservative leader's previous comments that "everything seems to be broken."
On Saturday morning, the Liberal Party posted a new advertisement comparing statements from Poilievre and statements from Trump. The ad ends by claiming Poilievre is the "wrong choice" at the "wrong time."
In a statement released by the party later on Saturday, the Liberals said Poilievre "is now desperately trying to rebrand himself in the hopes that Canadians will forget who he is."
"Canadians know that Pierre Poilievre wouldn't stand up for them. He's the wrong choice at the wrong time — and Liberals will stop him."
Former PMs call on Canadians to fly flags
In the face of threats from the White House, five former prime ministers called on Canadians to fly the flag on Saturday in a show of national unity.
Joe Clark, Kim Campbell, Jean Chrétien, Paul Martin and Stephen Harper told Canadians to "show the flag as never before" as the country contends with "threats and insults from Donald Trump."
"Let's fly our flag with pride. Let's show the world that we are proud of our history and proud of our country," they wrote.
Canadian flagmakers have reported that sales are surging at what is normally a slow time of year.
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With files from Michael Woods