‘We need to unite the country,’ Poilievre says after Manning warns of looming crisis

KINGSTON — Pierre Poilievre is calling for national unity in the middle of the federal election and a worsening trade dispute with the United States — rejecting comments made by a prominent figure in conservative politics.

“We need to unite the country. We need to bring all Canadians together in a spirit of common ground,” the Conservative leader said Thursday in Kingston, Ont.

Poilievre was responding to a question about a recent opinion article by Preston Manning, former leader of the Reform Party of Canada, a predecessor of the modern federal Conservative party.

Manning warned of a “Western secession” crisis if the Liberals win a fourth term in government, arguing that some provinces in the region would seek to separate from Canada.

“Large numbers of Westerners simply will not stand for another four years of Liberal government, no matter who leads it,” Manning wrote in an op-ed in The Globe and Mail published Wednesday.

On Thursday, Poilievre did not echo Manning’s claim that a Liberal victory would spell the end of a united Canada.

He stuck closely to his core campaign messages by railing against the incumbent Liberals’ policies and calling for a Conservative government to stand up to U.S. President Donald Trump’s trade hostility.

The Conservative leader announced a plan to cut federal sales tax from Canadian-made vehicles to support an auto industry reeling from Trump’s tariffs.

“Everyone who’s looking to buy Canadian, to support Canadian workers, will be able to save money as a result of this announcement,” Poilievre said.

A list of eligible new vehicles provided to media by the Conservative party include the Toyota RAV4, the Honda Civic and CRV, the Chevrolet Silverado and others from automakers with plants in Ontario.

Poilievre said Thursday that waiving the GST on a qualifying $50,000 automobile would save the buyer $2,500.

He also called on the premiers to waive their portion of the sales tax, a move he claimed would save up to $7,000 on the same qualifying vehicle.

The tax cut would be temporary and would last for as long as U.S. tariffs on vehicles are in place.

Poilievre was in Kingston — a few hours east of the province’s automotive corridor — to speak alongside workers at Cancoil Thermal, a plant specializing in commercial air conditioning units.

His announcement came a day after Trump launched a wave of tariffs that are roiling global markets and the auto industry.

Prime Minister and Liberal Leader Mark Carney announced on Thursday that Canada would respond with retaliatory tariffs that match Trump’s tariff of 25 per cent on vehicles that don’t comply with the Canada-U.S.-Mexico Agreement on trade.

Poilievre said he does not consider the U.S. to be a “reliable trading partner right now” because Trump “consistently betrays” Canada.

He said that if he becomes prime minister, he’ll call Trump immediately after taking office to demand an accelerated renegotiation of CUSMA.

Poilievre also announced a value of $3 billion for a previously announced fund aimed at businesses hit by the tariffs to keep their workers employed through the trade dispute.

— Written by Craig Lord in Ottawa and Sarah Ritchie in Kingston, Ont.

This report by The Canadian Press was first published April 3, 2025.

The Canadian Press