OTTAWA – Liberal and Conservative leaders Mark Carney and Pierre Poilievre presented two different characters, but similar plans to confront U.S. President Donald J. Trump, on Radio-Canada’s popular show

Tout le monde en parle

.

“Nobody can control Donald Trump… We need to focus on what we can control and that means to strengthen our economy,” said Poilievre, who was interviewed first of the two leaders.

“We need to diversify our allies and our economy,” said Carney, when his turn came up later on the broadcast.

Both men affirmed that Canadians must be “masters in their own house,” a reference to the slogan of Quebec’s Quiet Revolution of the 1960s, “

Maître chez nous

.” Carney made this slogan central to his campaign, and Poilievre mentioned it several times.

The answers were quite similar, so much so that host Guy A. Lepage asked Carney if he agreed with Pierre Poilievre, since “he clearly said exactly the same thing.”

Carney, who seemed surprised, smirked and replied: “Well, he hears me! It’s good!”

It seemed Carney had once again taken an idea from Poilievre. Shortly after taking office a month ago, he canceled the carbon tax for consumers, a long-standing Conservative promise.

The Tories also aim to eliminate carbon levies on industry.

Carney later canceled Justin Trudeau’s capital gains tax increase, a move promoted by Poilievre, and also proposed abolishing the GST for first-time buyers, another Conservative idea.

“You’ve taken quite a bit from the Conservatives’ cookie jar. Do you think Mr. Poilievre has good ideas?” asked Lepage.

“Maybe,” Carney replied, before drawing a contrast with his opponent by saying that he is much more oriented toward the environment than Poilievre.

He also said he is more focused on the economy than his predecessor, Justin Trudeau.

“It has to be said, he was less interested in that,” he acknowledged, before saying that he came into politics because there was a crisis.

“The situation is difficult, and that’s why I’m here. Because of the housing crisis and the crisis with the United States. Life is simpler in the private sector. Simpler, more profitable, more everything. But it’s too important,” he said, referring to his return to the public sector.

The pressure was on, Sunday night, for both frontrunners as they were attending the influential Radio-Canada show, which regularly gets nearly a million viewers a week in Quebec.

Lepage and co-host Jean-Sébastien Girard run a show that has been considered for decades an essential way for federal party leaders to gain exposure in Quebec.

Lepage’s interview with Jack Layton, in 2011, is supposed to have triggered the “Orange Wave” in Quebec and allowed the NDP to become the official opposition for the first time in its history.

The Conservatives have always had a love-hate relationship with the program. Former leader and prime minister Stephen Harper did not appear on the show.

This time, Poilievre’s wife, Anaida, convinced him to participate. Poilievre was much more relaxed than ever. He smiled and joked with the hosts.

But the hosts wanted to know who was the “real Pierre Poilievre”: the one with an “abrasive, belligerent and even slobbering tone,” or the one who is calmer and smiling more often?

Poilievre said he was the leader of the opposition and now, he’s preparing to become Canada’s next prime minister, and he has to be more positive and “present more hope.”

“It’s frustrating to see politicians making decisions that have caused people’s unhappiness, and sometimes it can come across as aggressive. But it comes from a desire to fight for those who deserve better from our country,” he said.

On the program, his style was compared to U.S. President Donald Trump. Co-host Girard asked him if he was a “mini-Trump, a medium Trump, or a large-Trump?”

“I’m about 180 lbs., so not really,” replied Poilievre.

“Listen, I have a completely different story than him. He comes from a very wealthy family, while I have modest origins,” he said.

He was also challenged about culture, particularly regarding his plan to defund the CBC.

He said he wanted to preserve Radio-Canada because it had helped him to learn French as a child in Alberta. His wife, who grew up in Quebec, is a strong supporter of the network.

In his segment, Carney seemed more serious and possibly nervous. He is less fluent in French than his opponent.

For instance, considering the fact Carney has paused his campaign three times to deal with the job of prime minister, the host suggested it must be more fun to be prime minister than to be a candidate in an election.

“In a sense, it’s easier (to be prime minister) in a crisis… In a crisis, you must act, you must make big decisions, you must be bold. Being a candidate is different: You must make speeches, shake hands and look at cows,” he said.

Yves-François Blanchet, leader of the Bloc Québécois,

was not impressed by the answer

and wrote on social media that the cows’ comment was “Mark Carney’s vision of democracy, and the campaign.”

Blanchet will be a guest on 

Tout le monde en parle

next week.

Carney also showed he could be quick on his feet when asked to name an artist from Quebec. He replied that Coeur de Pirate’s songs were playing at his rallies and was able to answer a more specific question about an old comedy group, to the pleasure of the hosts.

If both leaders did cross paths in Montreal, they didn’t have the chance to cross swords. That will happen in the same building on Wednesday and Thursday, for both the French and English debates.

Canadians will vote April 28.

National Post
atrepanier@postmedia.com

Get more deep-dive National Post political coverage and analysis in your inbox with the Political Hack newsletter, where Ottawa bureau chief Stuart Thomson and political analyst Tasha Kheiriddin get at what’s really going on behind the scenes on Parliament Hill every Wednesday and Friday, exclusively for subscribers. Sign up here.

• Poilievre slams alleged Carney conflicts, pledges new ethics law
• Adam Pankratz: Like it or not, Canada’s economy is tied to the U.S.

Two Liberal staffers made fake, Trump-style buttons and planted them at a conference of Canadian conservatives last week.

But they were exposed after they discussed the plot at an Ottawa bar and were overheard by a CBC reporter.

The Liberal party has acknowledged the broadcaster’s reporting of the controversy, but suggested it was a joke that got carried away.

The bombshell story shows a disturbing effort to spread disinformation, Calgary-area MP Michelle Rempel Garner told National Post, adding it should be viewed as a dishonest and disturbing attempt to distract Canadians from the issues at hand in the ongoing election.

“It’s disgusting,” Rempel Garner said.

“What I’m hearing on the door right now is how serious this election is, how high the stakes are for people, particularly when it comes to issues related to affordability, cost of living, and frankly crime, too.

“And here you’ve got the Liberals taking a lot of effort — to graphic design, to actually make things or order them — to infiltrate a conference.

“This is what their campaign is focused on.”

The story, published Sunday by CBC News, says Liberal election staffers planted buttons at last week’s Canada Strong and Free Network conference in downtown Ottawa.

The conference, referred to often as the Manning Conference, is known as a policy and networking hotbed for conservative-leaning Canadians.

The plan to plant the buttons appeared to go off without a hitch.

Word of them made it into a Shannon Proudfoot Globe and Mail column last week.

But the scheme unravelled after Liberal campaign workers were caught bragging about it in an Ottawa bar Friday evening, in earshot of a CBC reporter.

One of the buttons said “Stop the Steal” — referencing U.S. President Donald Trump’s attempts to overturn the results of the 2020 presidential election.

There are reports of others, including a “Free Alberta” button alongside a pair of handcuffs, a “Lock Justin Up” button printed over prison bars, a “Vote for Carney is a Vote for WEXIT,” and a “Danielle Smith for CPC Leader 2026” button.

Another featured Tory campaign director Jenni Byrne’s crossed-off name, alongside Conservative strategist Kory Teneycke.

Teneycke has been a vocal critic of Byrne’s management of the federal Conservative campaign. He has suggested Pierre Poilievre is on track to lose the federal election unless he pivots and responds more directly to Canadians’ fear over U.S. President Donald Trump’s economic war against Canada.

That’s as the campaign has featured the Liberals regularly accusing Poilievre of “American-style campaigning” in an attempt to tarnish the Conservative leader by comparing him to Trump.

Rempel Garner suggested the buttons expose the lengths of that Liberal effort.

“The fact that their campaign went on a purposeful attempt to sow that type of disinformation into such an important election is just disgusting,” she said.

“This is what the Liberals are willing to do. They’re willing to do purposeful, sophisticated disinformation campaigns to distract from their record (and) divide the country, instead of offering what we’re offering, which is a plan full of hope.”

In a statement provided Sunday night, Liberal spokesperson Kevin Lemkay acknowledged the button controversy, although suggesting that it was a joke that got carried away.

“After many news reports last week about conservative infighting and prominent Trump allies being hosted at this Canadian conservative conference, it’s been reported that Liberal campaigners had created buttons poking fun at those reports — which regrettably got carried away,” Lemkay said.

Asked to identify which speakers were “prominent Trump allies,” Lemkay simply replied with a link to a list of the event’s entire speaker roster.

Lemkay also denied that all of the button slogans being reported were from the Liberal camp.

“While it is worth noting that many materials being shown online have nothing to do with members of our team, the party has acted quickly to review the matter. As Leader, Mark Carney has also made it clear to the campaign that this does not fit his commitment to serious and positive discourse,” he said.

Rempel Garner called the misinformation campaign the Liberal “go-to tactic.”

“They are trying to distract from their record, they are trying to distract from their lack of policies, they are trying to distract from all of Mark Carney’s scandals that he hasn’t been able to answer in the last couple of weeks, so this is what they do,” she said.

Rempel Garner said she will take the new ammunition to the door.

“I will get back on the doors with that message,” she said.

National Post

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Fort McKay First Nation

(FMFN) is an Indigenous success story. Situated along the Athabasca River, north of Fort McMurray in Alberta, the community has raised living standards for its members through revenue generated by First Nation-owned companies.

According to a 2020 FMFN financial report, the community generates 97 per cent of their revenue from such companies, with an average gross annual revenue of $1.7 billion over the course of five years.

The First Nation, which has 900 band members of Dene and Cree heritage living on the reserve and abroad, has emerged as a leader in Indigenous economic development. A 2018 Fraser Institute report attributed this success to “community capitalism.”

FMFN’s involvement in the oil sands industry began in 1986 with the establishment of the Fort McKay Group of Companies, a 100 per cent First Nation-owned oil sands construction and services company. The First Nation oversees twelve companies through its wholly-owned holding company, Fort McKay Landing LP.

FMFN has navigated environmental impact assessments, profit-sharing agreements, and consultation processes. “We place great emphasis on ensuring that we are actively involved in the decision-making process, ensuring our land and resources are protected for future generations,” said FMFN Chief Raymond Powder.

National Post spoke to Powder about how the First Nation strikes a balance between business and culture and how they have used their profits to grow their community’s economy. This interview has been edited and condensed for clarity and length.

How did FMFN first get involved in the oil sands industry, and what have been the biggest milestones?

FMFN was historically a trapping and fishing community. As those industries declined, we saw the oil sands as an opportunity for transition and adaptation. Partnering with oil sands companies allowed us to shift to a new economic base, and through our involvement in extraction and refining operations, we created a steady revenue stream. Our biggest milestones include the formation of the Fort McKay Group of Companies, which has become a cornerstone for our community’s economic self-sufficiency. Additionally, partnerships with companies like Suncor and the East Tank Farm project, a joint venture with other Indigenous groups, have been integral in diversifying our economic base.

How do the revenues generated from the oil sands sector benefit Fort McKay residents?

The revenues from oil sands operations through Fort McKay Group of Companies have been reinvested back into our community. We’ve built schools, a wellness centre, and housing, improving living conditions and community services. We also focus on educational programs, employment training, and health services to provide our residents with the tools and resources they need to succeed. Our goal is to ensure that youth have access to both career opportunities in the oil sands sector and beyond.

How does FMFN ensure that young people have access to education and career opportunities?

We offer numerous initiatives that connect youth with education and career opportunities. These include trade shows, educational fairs and post-secondary support programs. While many community members work within the oil sands sector, we are actively working to ensure that our youth have the skills needed to pursue careers outside the industry as well. We are committed to fostering educational success, which, in turn, supports the community’s growth and development.

What’s the long-term vision for economic self-sufficiency, especially in light of oil production being finite?

We are focused on economic diversification and long-term financial sustainability. Through equity partnerships, like Thebacha (a partnership that saw FMFN and the Mikisew Cree First Nation acquire a 49 per cent equity position in a Suncor facility north of Fort McMurray) we have positioned ourselves to invest in ventures that will provide long-term returns. This includes renewable energy and other industries, allowing us to build wealth that supports future generations. Our long-term strategy also involves working closely with other Indigenous communities, such as those in the Athabasca region, to address shared economic and environmental challenges.

How does Fort McKay balance economic opportunity with environmental responsibility, especially when it comes to oil sands development?

At FMFN, balancing economic growth with environmental stewardship is vital. We work closely with oil sands companies to ensure high environmental standards and maintain our own internal monitoring systems for better transparency. We are committed to minimizing the environmental impact while providing jobs and economic opportunities for our community. The key to our success has been ensuring that economic benefits do not come at the expense of our environment.

Can you explain the significance of Moose Lake and the efforts to protect it?

Moose Lake holds deep cultural and spiritual significance for our community. It is a sacred area where we engage in traditional practices such as hunting and fishing. The area is threatened by industrial encroachment, and we have fought tirelessly to protect it. We’ve advocated for buffer zones and restrictions to ensure that Moose Lake remains pristine and that our future generations can continue practicing their traditional ways of life. The lake symbolizes our fight for land rights, cultural preservation, and environmental stewardship.

What are the next steps in strengthening Fort McKay’s land rights?

We are actively asserting our land rights and seeking greater autonomy in governance. Part of this includes addressing historical land agreements and ensuring that resources like oil sands are properly factored into our treaty agreements. Strengthening our sovereignty is a key priority, and we are working to ensure that our rights over land and resources are recognized and respected by provincial and federal governments.

How does FMFN collaborate with other Indigenous communities in the region?

Collaboration is central to our economic strategy. We work closely with neighbouring First Nations such as the Athabasca Chipewyan and Mikisew Cree to address shared economic, environmental, and political issues. This includes joint ventures with oil sands companies and collective efforts to protect our land and resources. By working together, we can ensure that all communities benefit from regional development and share resources to maximize our bargaining power.

Looking ahead, what are the biggest opportunities and challenges for Fort McKay First Nation in the next 10-20 years?

The biggest opportunities lie in diversifying our economy, building long-term financial sustainability, and continuing to strengthen our sovereignty. However, challenges such as fluctuating global markets, resource dependency, and environmental concerns remain. We are focused on overcoming these challenges through strategic investments, collaboration with other Indigenous communities, and continued investment in our people and education. Our vision is to ensure that FMFN remains a self-sustaining, thriving community for future generations.

This is the latest in a National Post series on How Canada Wins. Read earlier instalments here.

• Why now is the time to build new oil pipelines
• America’s doctors are fleeing Trump. Why that’s good for Canada

Our website is the place for the latest breaking news, exclusive scoops, longreads and provocative commentary. Please bookmark nationalpost.com and sign up for our daily newsletter, Posted, here.

CALGARY — It’s a little less lonely to be a Liberal in Calgary these days.

The line of supporters extends a kilometre outside of the Red and White Club at McMahon Stadium, where Liberal Leader Mark Carney is set to hold a rally. It is taking place in the riding of Calgary Confederation, which Liberals expect

could be a nail-biter this election

.

Running under the red banner is Corey Hogan, vice president at the University of Calgary and host of the political podcast “The Strategists.” He is hastily replacing the previous candidate,

Thomas Keeper, who stepped down

reportedly for a 20-year-old domestic assault charge.

Hogan will be facing off against former United Conservative Party MLA Jeremy Nixon, now running for the federal Tories. Nixon was also tapped as a last-minute candidate after the incumbent MP, Len Webber, suddenly announced his retirement before the election call.

At only 15 years old, William Grunan-Harlow is waiting in line to enter the Liberal venue, a sign with Hogan’s name on it in hand.

He may not be able to vote for the candidate but is eager to meet Hogan, who he knows of through his podcast. It is Grunan-Harlow’s first partisan event, and he is beaming with excitement at the idea of meeting other people who hold similar political views to him.

“I had never met a Liberal in my entire life outside of my family, and now I’ve met quite a few,” said the articulate teenager, pointing to the long line of supporters behind him.

One of those supporters is Richard McMillan, who is clearly of voting age and says he will be casting his ballot for Hogan.

“He’s really capable and I honestly think he’s cabinet minister material,” he said.

Inside the venue, the crowd goes wild when Hogan briefly takes the stage.

Hogan is clearly at ease in front of such a large crowd. He tells them that Janet Brown, Alberta’s most recognized pollster, told CBC that a riding like Calgary Confederation is “a bellwether riding” for whether Liberals are going to win a minority or a majority.

“The polls say if we show up, we’ll win,” Hogan said.

The next one to take the stage, Lindsay Luhnau, the director of a local investment co-operative running for the Liberals in Calgary Centre, another riding that the party is hoping to pick up, said her team is getting “incredible feedback at the doors and on the doors.”

“Progressives across Calgary are uniting,” she said, referring to the NDP’s slide in the polls that is seemingly benefiting her party.

Calgary is typically a Conservative stronghold in federal politics. Liberals elected a lone representative, George Chahal, in Calgary Skyview in 2021. Chahal is now running in the Calgary McKnight riding, while Hafeez Malik is hoping to succeed Chahal in Skyview.

Chahal said he thinks he will no longer be alone in Calgary after the next election.

“I think we will see Liberal support be much higher than it has in previous elections, and I am confident that I will be joined by more colleagues representing their constituencies from the Liberal Party of Canada after April 28,” he said.

According to Duane Bratt, a political science professor at Mount Royal University, four ridings in Calgary are going to be in play: McKnight, Skyview, Centre and Confederation.

“Those will be battlegrounds that we haven’t typically seen in this city,” he said.

It is no coincidence that Carney decided to make his announcement to

transform Canada into an “energy superpower”

with some of his candidates in Calgary.

“We need to get… Liberal candidates elected, as many as possible, so we can put this into place,” he said of his commitments.

Liberals are pushing another candidacy: Priti Obhrai-Martin, daughter of beloved long-time Conservative MP Deepak Obhrai. She is running in the riding of Calgary East against Conservative incumbent Jasraj Singh Hallan, also popular in the riding.

In a recent interview, Obhrai-Martin said her father had spoken highly of Carney’s work as governor of the Bank of Canada during the 2008 recession. When Carney decided to run for the leadership, she said he “piqued” her interest and put her hand up to get involved with the party.

Community members then asked her if she would be willing to run. She said yes.

“It’s very emotional,” she said. “It’s my dad’s riding. I’ve been door-knocking in this area since I was 16. I know the Conservatives. I know everybody here. It was not an easy decision. But people were asking me to step up. I was like, ‘Okay, I’m all in.’”

Obhrai-Martin said she was “scared” to join the Liberals at first but said people have been respectful of her decision. “They recognize that I have a legacy. They recognize that we have a family name and integrity, and they know that I didn’t take this lightly,” she said.

After the end of the Calgary rally, she is treated like a local celebrity, with Liberal supporters patiently waiting to take pictures with her and exchange a few words.

Obhrai-Martin might make it to Parliament like her father or she might not. But she said that if she felt the need to join Carney’s Liberals, others might do as well.

National Post,

with files from Noah Brennan, Calgary Herald

calevesque@postmedia.com

• At a Saskatoon rally, Mark Carney was heckled left and right — quite literally
• How Trump’s annexation threats are giving the Liberals hope on Vancouver Island

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Our website is the place for the latest breaking news, exclusive scoops, longreads and provocative commentary. Please bookmark nationalpost.com and sign up for our newsletters here.

Eighty-five per cent of Canadians say they’re proud to be Canadian — up five percentage points from nearly one year ago,

according to a new poll

.

The Leger poll conducted for the Association for Canadian Studies found that Atlantic Canadians and those in Manitoba and Saskatchewan are the most proud (91 per cent). They’re followed by those in Alberta (86 per cent), Ontarians (85 per cent) and people in British Columbia (84 per cent). Quebecers feel the least national pride, with 79 per cent saying they’re proud to be Canadian.

The numbers were slightly different just one month ago, when 86 per cent of Canadians said they were proud. In early March, 86 per cent of Quebecers and 77 per cent of Albertans said they were proud to be Canadian. In November 2024, the number was the same for Quebecers but only 70 per cent of British Columbians were proud to be Canadian.

“This has to be understood in terms of what’s happened since the election of Donald Trump and the current campaign,” said Jack Jedwab, president and CEO of the Association for Canadian Studies. “There’s a lot of volatility right now in terms of our relationship with the United States, a lot of head-scratching and people asking themselves, ‘Where do we stand with the country we perceive to be our closest ally, and what does this mean for who we are?’”

In the 2025 federal election, national unity has come up as an issue, with Alberta Premier Danielle Smith warning of an “unprecedented national unity crisis” should several demands not be met by the incoming government.

However, this poll, along with others, seems to show the overwhelming majority of Canadians have a strong attachment to their nation.

• ‘They’ve cratered’: For NDP Leader Jagmeet Singh this election is do or die
• At a Saskatoon rally, Mark Carney was heckled left and right — quite literally

In every region of the country — with the exception of Quebec — the number of people who say they take pride in Canada is higher than the number of people who say they take pride in their province.

“Pride in being Canadian exceeds pride in province for the rest of the country,” said Jedwab.

In Quebec, 79 per cent say they are proud to be Canadian and 80 per cent say they are proud to be Quebecers. Elsewhere, the gap is wider: 91 per cent of Atlantic Canadians say they are proud to be Canadian compared to 85 per cent who say they are proud of their province.

Ninety-one per cent of those in Saskatchewan and Manitoba say they are proud to be Canadian compared to 75 per cent who show pride in their province. In Alberta, 86 per cent of people say they are proud to be Canadian, while 73 per cent say they are proud of their province. Eighty-five per cent of Ontarians say they are proud to be Canadian, while 82 per cent say they are proud of their province. And in British Columbia, 84 per cent say they are proud to be Canadian, and 82 per cent say they are proud of their province.

At nearly 93 per cent, Liberal voters have the most pride in Canada, followed by Conservative voters at 86 per cent and NDP voters at 83 per cent. Only 64 per cent of those who say they are voting for the Bloc Québécois — an avowedly separatist party – say they are proud to be Canadian. (Forty-eight per cent of those polled also said that an independent Quebec would be less able to deal with U.S. trade threats.)

“I suspect a lot of Albertans are also thinking that their capacity on their own to … be effective in defending against this threat is probably something that they’re coming to understand is not going to be most effective,” said Jedwab.

The survey of 1,631 people was conducted online by Leger for the Association for Canadian Studies between April 5 and 6. A margin of error cannot be associated with a non-probability sample in a panel survey for comparison purposes. A probability sample of 1,631 respondents would have a margin of error of plus or minus 2.5 per cent, 19 times out of 20.

• ‘They’ve cratered’: For NDP Leader Jagmeet Singh this election is do or die
• At a Saskatoon rally, Mark Carney was heckled left and right — quite literally

Our website is the place for the latest breaking news, exclusive scoops, longreads and provocative commentary. Please bookmark nationalpost.com and sign up for our daily newsletter, Posted, here.