Canada’s Conservative leader calls for national unity ahead of key leadership vote

Canadian Conservative leader Pierre Poilievre delivered a speech on Friday that called for Canadians to stay united in the face of an “uncertain world”, amid growing separatist sentiments in Alberta and Quebec.

“A house divided cannot stand,” Poilievre said in Calgary, ahead of a consequential vote where party members will decide whether he should stay on as leader.

A leadership vote is automatically triggered by the party after an election loss — in this case Poilievre’s defeat to Mark Carney’s Liberals last April, where he also lost his own seat.

Despite the political setbacks, some delegates told the BBC that they still have confidence in Poilievre to lead them into the next election.

In a nearly hour-long speech that doubled as a pitch to Conservative voters at the party’s convention in Calgary, Alberta, Poilievre outlined his vision for Canada’s future should his party form the next government.