‘Back so quickly': Carney holds rally at Pyramid Cabaret
Regularly reserved for bar crawls and cover bands, Liberal Leader Mark Carney was the headliner Thursday at the Pyramid Cabaret, as red-clad supporters rallied in what was the prime minister's second stop in Winnipeg before election day.
'It is great to be back in Winnipeg, back so quickly,' he said to cheers from the audience.
Bartenders slung soda and water under the Pyramid's disco ball to hundreds of supporters, who were holding signs that read 'Never 51' and 'Canada Strong.'
ADRIAN WYLD/ THE CANADIAN PRESS FILES
Liberal Leader Mark Carney was last in the city for a news conference and rally April 1.
Carney, who was last in the city for a news conference and rally April 1, repeated many of the talking points that he has carried throughout the campaign. That included condemning the 'tragedy' of the trade war and heightened tensions with the U.S. and calling Conservative Leader Pierre Poilievre a 'lifelong politician who worships at the altar of the free market.'
'I'm still learning how to be a politician — I think it's a good thing — but I think I'm a pragmatist,' he said.
'So when I see something that's not working, I will change it.'
Carney promised to put in legislation to remove federal barriers to interprovincial trade by July 1 — 'free trade in Canada by Canada Day,' Carney said.
'We need one economy in this country, not 13.'
Flanked by Liberal candidates who joined the leader on stage, Diana Fox-Carney described her husband as empathetic and strong-willed.
'Criss-crossing over the country over the past weeks, I think you've seen my husband is incredibly hard-working, that he is committed to listening to all of the many people like yourselves that he's met along the years,' she said.
For some in the audience, the rally felt like a victory lap after a month of successful campaigning in Manitoba.
Among those ready to rock was Manny Calisto, a retired school teacher who said he's becoming 'increasingly more confident with each day' the Liberal party will lead Canada after Monday's election.
'It's not necessarily based on the polls, which clearly are showing that's likely to happen,' the 59 year old said.
'I think I'm more confident because I really strongly believe that Canada will not follow the U.S. example.'
While waiting to get into the venue, Nicole Van Osch said the race isn't over until it's over.
'I'm semi-confident, but don't want to take anything for granted,' she said.
During Carney's first stop in Winnipeg, he visited New Flyer Industries in Transcona and met with Premier Wab Kinew but made no new policy announcements. His second visit came as all three major party leaders were darting across the country to make their final pitches to voters.
During Elections
Get campaign news, insight, analysis and commentary delivered to your inbox during Canada's 2025 election.
NDP Leader Jagmeet Singh held a rally in Transcona Wednesday evening and spoke with media Thursday morning. Conservative Party leader Pierre Poilievre was in Halifax Thursday.
A Probe Research poll released Wednesday found 43 per cent of Manitoba respondents were either decided or leaning toward voting Liberal, while 40 per cent were supporting the Tories.
In Winnipeg, that gap grew to 50 per cent Liberal and 32 per cent Conservative. Rural and northern Manitobans surveyed flipped to 54 per cent Conservative support and 32 per cent Liberal support.
— with files from Alex Lambert
malak.abas@freepress.mb.ca
Malak AbasReporter
Malak Abas is a city reporter at the Free Press. Born and raised in Winnipeg's North End, she led the campus paper at the University of Manitoba before joining the Free Press in 2020. Read more about Malak.
Every piece of reporting Malak produces is reviewed by an editing team before it is posted online or published in print — part of the Free Press's tradition, since 1872, of producing reliable independent journalism. Read more about Free Press's history and mandate, and learn how our newsroom operates.
Our newsroom depends on a growing audience of readers to power our journalism. If you are not a paid reader, please consider becoming a subscriber.
Our newsroom depends on its audience of readers to power our journalism. Thank you for your support.
Hashtags
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
Toronto Star
27 minutes ago
- Toronto Star
Mexican President Claudia Sheinbaum says she will attend G7 summit in Alberta
OTTAWA - Mexican President Claudia Sheinbaum says she will attend the G7 summit next week in Kananaskis, Alta. Sheinbaum was one of several world leaders invited to the summit by Prime Minister Mark Carney who are not part of the Group of Seven. She says her team is working to set up bilateral meetings with G7 leaders, including U.S. President Donald Trump. ARTICLE CONTINUES BELOW Mexico and Canada have both been targets of Trump's punishing tariffs and the three countries are set to begin renegotiating the Canada-U.S.-Mexico Agreement on trade next year. Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy, Australian Prime Minister Anthony Albanese, South African President Cyril Ramaphosa and Brazilian President Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva have all been invited to attend the summit. Federal Politics Analysis Mark Carney prepares for G7 summit littered with potential landmines Tonda MacCharles Carney caused controversy last week when he invited Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi to the summit — despite the fact that the RCMP has accused agents of his government of playing a role in 'widespread violence' in Canada. Ottawa's stated priorities for the summit include strengthening global peace and security — which includes countering foreign interference and transnational crime — spurring economic growth and creating jobs. This report by The Canadian Press was first published June 9, 2025.
CTV News
30 minutes ago
- CTV News
Mexican President Claudia Sheinbaum says she will attend G7 summit in Alberta
Mexican President Claudia Sheinbaum arrives at a polling station to vote in the country's first judicial elections in Mexico City on June 1, 2025. (AP Photo/Marco Ugarte) OTTAWA — Mexican President Claudia Sheinbaum says she will attend the G7 summit next week in Kananaskis, Alta. Sheinbaum was one of several world leaders invited to the summit by Prime Minister Mark Carney who are not part of the Group of Seven. She says her team is working to set up bilateral meetings with G7 leaders, including U.S. President Donald Trump. Mexico and Canada have both been targets of Trump's punishing tariffs and the three countries are set to begin renegotiating the Canada-U.S.-Mexico Agreement on trade next year. Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy, Australian Prime Minister Anthony Albanese, South African President Cyril Ramaphosa and Brazilian President Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva have all been invited to attend the summit. Carney caused controversy last week when he invited Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi to the summit — despite the fact that the RCMP has accused agents of his government of playing a role in 'widespread violence' in Canada. Ottawa's stated priorities for the summit include strengthening global peace and security — which includes countering foreign interference and transnational crime — spurring economic growth and creating jobs. This report by The Canadian Press was first published June 9, 2025. The Canadian Press
Winnipeg Free Press
an hour ago
- Winnipeg Free Press
GST relief on new homes could save 1st-time buyers up to $240 on mortgages: report
OTTAWA – A new analysis says first-time Canadian homebuyers could save up to $240 on their monthly mortgage payments through the federal government's proposal to waive the sales tax on new builds. Desjardins Economics says in a new report that the impact on housing affordability will be 'particularly strong' for buyers in Canada's more expensive markets, like Toronto and Vancouver. The Liberal government has tabled legislation to eliminate the GST portion from new home sales of up to $1 million for first-time buyers, which works out to as much as $50,000 off the cost of a new build or substantially renovated unit. For homes sold above $1 million, the GST relief is phased out as the price tag nears $1.5 million. But Desjardins also cautions that the policy could drive up demand for housing, which in the near-term could push up home prices if not coupled with other efforts to boost supply. Monday Mornings The latest local business news and a lookahead to the coming week. Parliament has yet to pass the legislation, which the Liberals introduced alongside the government's pledge to cut income taxes starting July 1. This report by The Canadian Press was first published June 9, 2025.
