Poilievre promotes unity after ex-Reform leader Preston Manning warns a Carney win will fuel Western secession [Video]

Conservative Leader Pierre Poilievre promoted national unity and distanced himself from recent comments made by Reform Party founder Preston Manning, who argues a vote for Mark Carney’s Liberals is a vote for Western secession

“No,” said Poilievre when asked during a campaign stop Thursday if he agrees with Manning’s provocative op-ed in the Globe and Mail this week.

“We need to unite the country. We need to bring all Canadians together in a spirit of common ground.”

Manning, an elder statesman to many in conservative circles, argued that Carney is a threat to national unity and said Western Canadians “simply will not stand for another four years of Liberal government.”  

Manning said the push for secession is rooted in Alberta and Saskatchewan, long angered by the Liberals’ natural resource policies, but has the potential to spread to Manitoba, British Columbia and the territories.

“Voters, particularly in central and Atlantic Canada, need to recognize that a vote for the …