Conservatives see dramatic reversal in support since the campaign began: Political analyst
Political analyst Daniel Béland discusses the dramatic change in polling support for the Liberals and Conservatives after the campaign began.
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The Province
2 hours ago
- The Province
Alberta separatists slam Poilievre for declaring himself a 'Canadian patriot' opposed to secession
Poilievre was responding after he took part in a CBC interview on the weekend and said Alberta should stay in Canada even if the Liberals continue to hold power in Ottawa Conservative Leader Pierre Poilievre speaks during a news conference in Ottawa on Monday, July 14, 2025. Photo by Adrian Wyld/The Canadian Press OTTAWA — Conservative Leader Pierre Poilievre was slammed by several separatist opponents in Alberta Monday after he said that the province should stay part of Canada, no matter what. This advertisement has not loaded yet, but your article continues below. THIS CONTENT IS RESERVED FOR SUBSCRIBERS ONLY Subscribe now to read the latest news in your city and across Canada. Exclusive articles by top sports columnists Patrick Johnston, Ben Kuzma, J.J. Abrams and others. Plus, Canucks Report, Sports and Headline News newsletters and events. Unlimited online access to The Province and 15 news sites with one account. The Province ePaper, an electronic replica of the print edition to view on any device, share and comment on. Daily puzzles and comics, including the New York Times Crossword. Support local journalism. SUBSCRIBE TO UNLOCK MORE ARTICLES Subscribe now to read the latest news in your city and across Canada. Exclusive articles by top sports columnists Patrick Johnston, Ben Kuzma, J.J. Abrams and others. Plus, Canucks Report, Sports and Headline News newsletters and events. Unlimited online access to The Province and 15 news sites with one account. The Province ePaper, an electronic replica of the print edition to view on any device, share and comment on. Daily puzzles and comics, including the New York Times Crossword. Support local journalism. REGISTER / SIGN IN TO UNLOCK MORE ARTICLES Create an account or sign in to continue with your reading experience. Access articles from across Canada with one account. Share your thoughts and join the conversation in the comments. Enjoy additional articles per month. Get email updates from your favourite authors. THIS ARTICLE IS FREE TO READ REGISTER TO UNLOCK. Create an account or sign in to continue with your reading experience. Access articles from across Canada with one account Share your thoughts and join the conversation in the comments Enjoy additional articles per month Get email updates from your favourite authors 'Pierre Poilievre and the federal Conservatives want Albertan votes but not Albertan autonomy. Saying Alberta should stay no matter what shows exactly how little respect they have for the province's right to chart its own path,' said Michael Harris, the Libertarian candidate challenging Poilievre in next month's Battle River—Crowfoot byelection. 'That's not unity, that's control,' Harris said. The Calgary-born Poilievre reiterated his belief in Alberta federalism at a press conference in Ottawa on Monday. 'Well, I disagree with separation. I'm a Canadian patriot (and) there's no other country in the world where someone of my modest origins would be able to make it,' said Poilievre. Poilievre was responding after he took part in a CBC interview on the weekend and said Alberta should stay in Canada even if the Liberals continue to hold power in Ottawa. Essential reading for hockey fans who eat, sleep, Canucks, repeat. By signing up you consent to receive the above newsletter from Postmedia Network Inc. Please try again This advertisement has not loaded yet, but your article continues below. Grant Abraham is another candidate challenging Poilievre in August's byelection. The leader of the United Party of Canada, which advocates for provinces standing up against federal power, Abraham said Poilievre is likely underestimating the level of unrest in Alberta. 'I mean so much of Alberta is so fed up with paying money to Quebec and Ontario in the form of equalization payments … Alberta hasn't seen any money back from that since the 1960s,' said Abraham. Harris and Abraham both think there should be a referendum on Alberta independence next year. Abraham says he'd vote 'yes' if a referendum on the province's independence were held tomorrow, if only to wake Ottawa up to the reality of western unrest. Republican Party of Alberta Leader Cameron Davies, who ran provincially last month in an overlapping riding, said he thinks Poilievre will face a rude awakening himself at the doors of Battle River—Crowfoot as he campaigns for the seat recently vacated by Conservative MP Damien Kurek. This advertisement has not loaded yet, but your article continues below. 'I can tell you in the part of the riding that overlaps with Mr. Poilievre's newfound home … that there is 30 per cent plus support, if not greater, for Alberta independence,' said Davies. In the provincial race, Davies placed third with just under 18 per cent of the vote, with most of his support coming at the expense of Alberta's governing United Conservative Party. Jeff Rath, a lawyer with the pro-independence Alberta Prosperity Project, said that Poilievre's comments about Alberta staying in Canada show just how 'irrelevant' he's become to both the country and the province. 'He just can't read the room,' said Rath. Rath said Poilievre hurt his credibility with Albertans by not taking the opportunity to say that he would abide by the results of a referendum on independence, as Premier Danielle Smith has repeatedly said she would. This advertisement has not loaded yet, but your article continues below. He added that Poilievre's continued support for the federal equalization program and supply management will be a 'tough sell' with voters in the riding. Poilievre also rankled some conservative Albertans during the CBC interview with his defence of supply management for egg and dairy farmers, which has become a trade irritant with the U.S. Trump administration, saying it pales in comparison to the 'tens if not hundreds of billions' American farmers get in subsidies. 'Poilievre is saying that we're going to continue to stick our thumb in the eye of our biggest trade partner to protect the Quebec dairy cartel … he's not protecting the interests of Albertans,' said Rath. Kurek told the National Post that, despite what naysayers are claiming, residents he's spoken to increasingly see Poilievre as the right man to go to bat for rural Alberta in Ottawa. This advertisement has not loaded yet, but your article continues below. 'Having spent the last weeks … speaking to thousands of folks here in Battle River—Crowfoot, the message is clear. Albertans are frustrated with the Liberal status quo, but are hopeful that Pierre and our Conservative team are listening and will stand up for them … It's clear to me Albertans want Pierre to fight for them!' wrote Kurek in an email to the National Post Brad Wohlgemuth, a resident of Stettler, Alta., who plans to vote in the byelection, says he's been disappointed by how carefully managed Poilievre's campaign events have been so far. Wohlgemuth said that he and other attendees of a Conservative town hall on Friday were asked to submit written questions in advance, and were not given an opportunity to ask questions from the floor. This advertisement has not loaded yet, but your article continues below. 'We want to test somebody out to see whether they can handle the tough questions,' said Wohlgemuth. Wohlgemuth says he was especially disappointed by Poilievre's boilerplate response to a question about secession. '(The exchange) was so well scripted that it really didn't address the issue.' Poilievre said in his press conference on Monday that he understood why Albertans were so upset. 'We have to put a final end to this notion that Ottawa tells Alberta to pay up and shut up,' said Poilievre. National Post rmohamed@ Read More Our website is the place for the latest breaking news, exclusive scoops, longreads and provocative commentary. Please bookmark and sign up for our daily newsletter, Posted, here. Crime Local News Soccer Vancouver Canucks Local News
The Province
9 hours ago
- The Province
Á'a:líya Warbus: Right-hand woman to B.C. Conservative leader John Rustad
Douglas Todd: First Nations leader and hip-hop singer does a lot of "heavy lifting" for the Conservatives As Opposition house leader, Áʼa꞉líya Warbus manages the daily business of the Conservative party's 41-member caucus in the legislature. Warbus was elected by a 2,300-vote margin last October in the riding of Chilliwack-Cultus Lake. Photo by Jason Payne / PNG Sto:lo Nation member Á ʼa ꞉líya Warbus, a documentary filmmaker, Capilano University instructor and one-time hip-hop artist, readily acknowledges that of course she was criticized for running as a candidate for the B.C. Conservative Party. This advertisement has not loaded yet, but your article continues below. THIS CONTENT IS RESERVED FOR SUBSCRIBERS ONLY Subscribe now to read the latest news in your city and across Canada. Exclusive articles by top sports columnists Patrick Johnston, Ben Kuzma, J.J. Abrams and others. Plus, Canucks Report, Sports and Headline News newsletters and events. Unlimited online access to The Province and 15 news sites with one account. The Province ePaper, an electronic replica of the print edition to view on any device, share and comment on. Daily puzzles and comics, including the New York Times Crossword. Support local journalism. SUBSCRIBE TO UNLOCK MORE ARTICLES Subscribe now to read the latest news in your city and across Canada. Exclusive articles by top sports columnists Patrick Johnston, Ben Kuzma, J.J. Abrams and others. Plus, Canucks Report, Sports and Headline News newsletters and events. Unlimited online access to The Province and 15 news sites with one account. The Province ePaper, an electronic replica of the print edition to view on any device, share and comment on. Daily puzzles and comics, including the New York Times Crossword. Support local journalism. REGISTER / SIGN IN TO UNLOCK MORE ARTICLES Create an account or sign in to continue with your reading experience. Access articles from across Canada with one account. Share your thoughts and join the conversation in the comments. Enjoy additional articles per month. Get email updates from your favourite authors. THIS ARTICLE IS FREE TO READ REGISTER TO UNLOCK. Create an account or sign in to continue with your reading experience. Access articles from across Canada with one account Share your thoughts and join the conversation in the comments Enjoy additional articles per month Get email updates from your favourite authors Conservatives aren't normally associated with caring that much about Indigenous people's issues, the environment or marginalized people — even though Warbus is intensely concerned about all of those issues and more. By contrast, the B.C. NDP have three Indigenous MLAs. And for what it's worth, the premier of Manitoba, Wab Kinew, is NDP. (Warbus once knew Kinew from the hip-hop circuit, and believes he's a leader for all people.) The B.C. Conservatives have only one Indigenous MLA. That's after Warbus was elected by a 2,300-vote margin last October in the riding of Chilliwack-Cultus Lake. Warbus, 40, has no trouble going against stereotypes, countering cliches and breaking down barriers. Inspired by her well-known father, Steven Point — a former Sto:lo Nation chief, former B.C. lieutenant governor, and former university chancellor — she wants to do what is best for Indigenous people and the wider culture. This advertisement has not loaded yet, but your article continues below. 'My dad would never tell you his politics, but he's always been for Indigenous rights. He was always asking how is this work going to benefit the larger community, as well as our community. His point of view, really, is that we just need to be involved.' Warbus is involved, to say the least. She's a community leader, a former hip-hop singer with the band Rapture Rising, a digital-film instructor at Capilano University, a podcaster, and the enthusiastic head of a self-financing group of about 25 Sto:lo war canoeists and catamaran paddlers. Known as Star Nation Canoe Club, they enter sprint competitions around the world. B.C. Conservative leader John Rustad has noted her organizational skills. Warbus now serves the crucial role of Opposition house leader, which means she manages the daily business of the party's 41-member caucus in the legislature. Stay on top of the latest real estate news and home design trends. By signing up you consent to receive the above newsletter from Postmedia Network Inc. Please try again This advertisement has not loaded yet, but your article continues below. In effect, she is the right-hand woman to Rustad. 'I would say in many instances I become a stand-in for John, representing him as best I can. We have a really good working relationship. He trusts me,' she said in an interview last week. 'House leader is a lot of heavy lifting. I would say that I have a high threshold for, I don't want to say chaos, but for organizational demand. Especially when I have support, I can carry quite a load.' She likes to think both she and Rustad approach potentially divisive issues, of which there are many, with 'human kindness.' Á'a:líya Warbus (far left) with some members of Star Nation Canoe Club, which competes in sprint competitions around the world. Photo by Kalvin Warbus A mother of three children, she attributes her willingness to take on eclectic challenges to several people, including her mother, Gwendolyn, her husband, Kalvin Warbus, a filmmaker who works with troubled Indigenous boys, and her father, Steven Point. This advertisement has not loaded yet, but your article continues below. At age 73, Point is a criminal lawyer, retired provincial court judge, former lieutenant governor of B.C, former head of the B.C. Treaty Commission and, until last year, chancellor of the University of B.C. In 2022, when the city of Richmond renamed Trutch Avenue because of its link to B.C.'s first lieutenant governor, Joseph Trutch, who was openly hostile toward Indigenous people, council chose the name Point Avenue . Despite her many influences, Warbus has her own ideas about what needs to be done. Last year, before the provincial election in which the B.C. Conservatives came in a surprisingly close second to the NDP government, Warbus said she put her name forward in part because she opposes the NDP's emphasis on providing so-called 'safe supply' of opioids to people with addictions. This advertisement has not loaded yet, but your article continues below. Instead of fighting for prevention and rehabilitation, Warbus said, the NDP government has been 'pushing addictive drugs on both Indigenous and non-Indigenous people. It has to end.' In the legislature, Warbus recently recited the names of the many Indigenous people she has known who have died because of drug overdoses. 'I've lost so many people close to me.' She has been close to people on drugs who become psychotic, who don't at that time really know who they are, she said. People in that state, she said, must be provided services and treatment, although she recognizes the sensitivity of the term 'involuntary care.' When it comes to Indigenous economic development, she said one of her inspirations is Ellis Ross, a former chief councillor for the Haisla Nation who in 2022 came in second for the leadership of the B.C. Liberals. This advertisement has not loaded yet, but your article continues below. Ross was a big force behind getting a 650-kilometre pipeline built to serve LNG Canada's new terminal in Kitimat. As of this spring's federal election, he is the Conservative MP for Skeena-Bulkley Valley. Her admiration of Ross doesn't mean she will be rah-rah for every resource extraction project, though. 'We do need to get our resources moving and developed, but it has to be in a way that applies the highest possible environmental standards and that takes into consideration the impacts it's going to have on the people and the land.' For his part, Rustad often cites how, when he was Indigenous relations minister in the former B.C. Liberal government, he completed more than 400 economic agreements with First Nations. This advertisement has not loaded yet, but your article continues below. Warbus, Conservative Party MLA for Chilliwack-Cultus Lake, with husband Kalvin Warbus and one of her three children. On a different controversy, Warbus stood side by side with Rustad when he pushed back this spring against three members of the B.C. Conservative caucus who made light of the harms done to Indigenous people by the federally funded, church-run residential school system. After a showdown in which the dissenters accused Warbus of being in league with the NDP, two of the three MLAs went on to form a new party. Warbus stays in the fight for a better world in part because of her spiritual convictions — like her father, who attended the Roman Catholic church while growing up on the Skowkale First Nation reserve, next to Chilliwack. Like almost half Indigenous people in Canada, Warbus blends First Nations spirituality with Christianity. Yet she understands why some Indigenous people whose family members attended the defunct residential school system are suspicious. 'Christianity, unfortunately, has negative ties to residential schools, to people who did bad things. You know, if you're burned by a stove, you don't want to go near the stove again. And I totally respect that. So I never want to be presumptuous. But my own experience is growing up and going to church with my dad and hearing the stories of Jesus has been positive.' dtodd@ Read More Crime News Vancouver Canucks NHL Sports Betting
Vancouver Sun
19 hours ago
- Vancouver Sun
Á'a:líya Warbus: Right-hand woman to B.C. Conservative leader John Rustad
Sto:lo Nation member Á ʼa ꞉líya Warbus, a documentary filmmaker, Capilano University instructor and one-time hip-hop artist, readily acknowledges that of course she was criticized for running as a candidate for the B.C. Conservative Party. Conservatives aren't normally associated with caring that much about Indigenous people's issues, the environment or marginalized people — even though Warbus is intensely concerned about all of those issues and more. By contrast, the B.C. NDP have three Indigenous MLAs. And for what it's worth, the premier of Manitoba, Wab Kinew, is NDP. (Warbus once knew Kinew from the hip-hop circuit, and believes he's a leader for all people.) Stay on top of the latest real estate news and home design trends. By signing up you consent to receive the above newsletter from Postmedia Network Inc. A welcome email is on its way. If you don't see it, please check your junk folder. The next issue of Westcoast Homes will soon be in your inbox. Please try again Interested in more newsletters? Browse here. The B.C. Conservatives have only one Indigenous MLA. That's after Warbus was elected by a 2,300-vote margin last October in the riding of Chilliwack-Cultus Lake. Warbus, 40, has no trouble going against stereotypes, countering cliches and breaking down barriers. Inspired by her well-known father, Steven Point — a former Sto:lo Nation chief, former B.C. lieutenant governor, and former university chancellor — she wants to do what is best for Indigenous people and the wider culture. 'My dad would never tell you his politics, but he's always been for Indigenous rights. He was always asking how is this work going to benefit the larger community, as well as our community. His point of view, really, is that we just need to be involved.' Warbus is involved, to say the least. She's a community leader, a former hip-hop singer with the band Rapture Rising, a digital-film instructor at Capilano University, a podcaster, and the enthusiastic head of a self-financing group of about 25 Sto:lo war canoeists and catamaran paddlers. Known as Star Nation Canoe Club, they enter sprint competitions around the world. B.C. Conservative leader John Rustad has noted her organizational skills. Warbus now serves the crucial role of Opposition house leader, which means she manages the daily business of the party's 41-member caucus in the legislature. In effect, she is the right-hand woman to Rustad. 'I would say in many instances I become a stand-in for John, representing him as best I can. We have a really good working relationship. He trusts me,' she said in an interview last week. 'House leader is a lot of heavy lifting. I would say that I have a high threshold for, I don't want to say chaos, but for organizational demand. Especially when I have support, I can carry quite a load.' She likes to think both she and Rustad approach potentially divisive issues, of which there are many, with 'human kindness.' A mother of three children, she attributes her willingness to take on eclectic challenges to several people, including her mother, Gwendolyn, her husband, Kalvin Warbus, a filmmaker who works with troubled Indigenous boys, and her father, Steven Point. At age 73, Point is a criminal lawyer, retired provincial court judge, former lieutenant governor of B.C, former head of the B.C. Treaty Commission and, until last year, chancellor of the University of B.C. In 2022, when the city of Richmond renamed Trutch Street because of its link to B.C.'s first lieutenant governor, Joseph Trutch, who was openly hostile toward Indigenous people, council chose the name Point Street . Despite her many influences, Warbus has her own ideas about what needs to be done. Last year, before the provincial election in which the B.C. Conservatives came in a surprisingly close second to the NDP government, Warbus said she put her name forward in part because she opposes the NDP's emphasis on providing so-called 'safe supply' of opioids to people with addictions. Instead of fighting for prevention and rehabilitation, Warbus said, the NDP government has been 'pushing addictive drugs on both Indigenous and non-Indigenous people. It has to end.' In the legislature, Warbus recently recited the names of the many Indigenous people she has known who have died because of drug overdoses. 'I've lost so many people close to me.' She has been close to people on drugs who become psychotic, who don't at that time really know who they are, she said. People in that state, she said, must be provided services and treatment, although she recognizes the sensitivity of the term 'involuntary care.' When it comes to Indigenous economic development, she said one of her inspirations is Ellis Ross , a former chief councillor for the Haisla Nation who in 2022 came in second for the leadership of the B.C. Liberals. Ross was a big force behind getting a 650-kilometre pipeline built to serve LNG Canada's new terminal in Kitimat. As of this spring's federal election, he is the Conservative MP for Skeena-Bulkley Valley. Her admiration of Ross doesn't mean she will be rah-rah for every resource extraction project, though. 'We do need to get our resources moving and developed, but it has to be in a way that applies the highest possible environmental standards and that takes into consideration the impacts it's going to have on the people and the land.' For his part, Rustad often cites how, when he was Indigenous relations minister in the former B.C. Liberal government, he completed more than 400 economic agreements with First Nations . On a different controversy, Warbus stood side by side with Rustad when he pushed back this spring against three members of the B.C. Conservative caucus who made light of the harms done to Indigenous people by the federally funded, church-run residential school system. After a showdown in which the dissenters accused Warbus of being in league with the NDP, two of the three MLAs went on to form a new party. Warbus stays in the fight for a better world in part because of her spiritual convictions — like her father, who attended the Roman Catholic church while growing up on the Skowkale First Nation reserve, next to Chilliwack. Like almost half Indigenous people in Canada, Warbus blends First Nations spirituality with Christianity. Yet she understands why some Indigenous people whose family members attended the defunct residential school system are suspicious. 'Christianity, unfortunately, has negative ties to residential schools, to people who did bad things. You know, if you're burned by a stove, you don't want to go near the stove again. And I totally respect that. So I never want to be presumptuous. But my own experience is growing up and going to church with my dad and hearing the stories of Jesus has been positive.' dtodd@
