Speaking from the Heart about Canada
On June 8, I spoke about Alberta’s place in Canada, and then introduced Conservative Leader Pierre Poilievre at the historic Calgary Legion #1 downtown. See both speeches here on CPAC (27 minutes) and my subsequent interview on As It Happens below.
CBC As It Happens Media Interview
I was interviewed on CBC’s As It Happens news digest radio show on June 8. The transcript (as provided by CBC – not verified for accuracy) is below.
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Transcript of CBC Radio As It Happens – June 8, 2026
Conservative MP for Calgary Centre on Pierre Poilievre speech in Alberta
Nil Köksal, Chris Howden
Participants: Greg McLean
NIL KÖKSAL, CHRIS HOWDEN (HOSTS):
CH: Pierre Polievre says he understands why some Albertans are frustrated. But today, with a referendum looming, the Conservative leader made his case for why the province should stay in Canada.
SOUNDCLIP
PIERRE POILIEVRE: We don’t need a different country in Alberta. We need different government policies in Ottawa. [clapping and cheering, a man says “here, here”] Restoring affordable homes and food, unblocking resources, pipelines, respecting firearms owners, locking up criminals, relieving taxpayers, respecting provincial autonomy and personal freedom, unlocking free enterprise. We know these are the things that Albertans have been demanding. All Canadians want these things. The answer there for, there for Albertans is not to pull away from our friends in other provinces, but to lock arms with them. To make Canada affordable, safe, self-reliant and united here at home. Lock arms with all Canadians for an affordable federal government that allows an affordable life for Canadians. Lock arms with Saskatchewan and Newfoundland and Labrador, to double oil production. Lock arms with steelworkers in Hamilton and Sault Ste. Marie to eliminate the industrial carbon tax. Lock arms with Toronto communities for tougher criminal justice laws to end the wave of violence and theft that has washed over their communities and ours. Lock arms with Indigenous hunters and rural communities across the country, so that we can end the gun grab. Lock arms with Quebec to restore constitutional autonomy of the provinces, so Albertans can make decisions for themselves on things like immigration. Locking arms with other provinces is a practical, realistic path to a stronger Alberta within a united Canada.
CH: That was Pierre Polievre kicking off a cross-Alberta campaign in Calgary today ? trying to convince people in the province to reject separation from Canada.Greg McLean is the Conservative MP for Calgary Centre. We reached him in Calgary.
NK: Greg McLean, you were in that room today; there was applause there, perhaps not surprisingly. When you left, though, what is your sense of how Calgarians, your constituents, are feeling about Pierre Poilievre’s message?
GREG MCLEAN: Well, the message he delivered today was spot on. It was an excellent speech. Even around the table, I had a little bite to eat before I had to run. But everybody said it was a 10 out of 10 as far as a speech goes. The tone was right. The history brought into the equation was right. The venue, of course, is the Legion downtown. And think about what that means. How many Albertans have gone to serve Canada overseas, and some of them paid the ultimate price. So, it was a solemn message, a very sincere message, about what Canada means, and how we’re all pulled together coast to coast, and why we have to continue that.
NK: Pierre Poilievre placed a lot of the blame ? most of it ? for the separatist sentiment in Alberta at the feet of past Liberal governments, but the current one as well. How much responsibility do you feel as a Conservative MP that the federal government bears for this, this referendum talk and the situation the province is in?
GM: And it was in, it was in my speech, I think more so than it was in Pierre’s. I think Pierre was very clear about what we have to continue to build in Canada. It was a very, very positive message. I would say that it is very clear what’s happened over the last 11 years has exacerbated strain between the two levels of government, and making sure that we actually function in the lanes that the Constitution, and Pierre referred, you know, to the first Constitution, the British North America Act, in how this country was supposed to govern itself. And that is something that, that has not been adhered to well in the last 11 years of Liberal government.
NK: The prime minister has a majority now, as you well know. We’re likely to, not to see a federal election for, for, for several years; 2029. This is a government that is trying to make inroads, or appearing to, with Premier Danielle Smith, the MOU, of course, we’ve talked about on our program as well. What kind of argument are you making to constituents who might be talking about separation that’s not dependent on the Liberals being defeated in Ottawa?
GM: So, I’ve just spent the whole day yesterday, and the leader, Pierre Poilievre, came out and join me for a while as well in the streets. We have a Lilac Fest in, in Calgary, and a lot of people are coming and talking, you know, about the issue. And it’s downtown Calgary, I mean, it is full of people that are, most, you know, most of the conversations I have are about how do we make this federation better? There’s the odd conversation about people said they’ve had enough and they want to move on, but I don’t think that there’s a clear path in any event for that. The issue, of course, is how do we make this federation work better? And that’s what I’ve run three times for. That’s what my colleagues continue to stand for in the House of Commons. You talk about the memorandum of understanding. We’ve analyzed that quite assiduously. You take a look at what it actually says in that memorandum of understanding. It could be very much more clear as far as getting a pipeline, an oil pipeline, built for the coast. Seven years from now, hopefully is not, you know, a project timeline in the modern circumstances that we’re facing right now. So, we’ve got to get through these more quickly. We actually have to be more serious, and have a more direct approach so actually, we actually develop our resources and make sure they’re deliverable to markets around the world that are screaming for this resource right now. So, we do kind of look at that, why do we have to have such an indirect approach to this, as opposed to knocking down the barriers and getting a direct approach to getting these, these resources to market?
NK: We’ll play for our listeners a little more, another short section from Pierre Poilievre’s speech today.
SOUNDCLIP
PIERRE POILIEVRE: We should not just tell Albertans how bad it would be to have separation. Let’s instead talk about how great it can be if our country is truly united and respectful of Alberta. The goal should not be to beat one another in this referendum. It should be to unite us all when it is over, to show our fellow citizens, all of them, that they belong in Canada, that they are a treasured part of our national family. We need a “Project Hope”, not a “Project Fear”.
NK: When we talk about unity, there’s also the reality that the governing UCP, there is internal divisions with, within that party on this issue. Premier Danielle Smith has said she’s she’s not pro separation; she’s against that. But last month, UCP President Rob Smith said he thinks a majority of rank and file party members would vote against remaining in Canada. How do you stress that message from the Conservative, federal Conservative party leader to combat voices within Alberta’s Conservative movement, who, who believe very firmly and deeply that, that leaving Canada is an attractive prospect?
GM: I don’t think there’s anybody that’s looked at the path forward that thinks it’s an attractive project. There, there is no doubt that the most attractive prospect is for us to build a better Canada going forward here. There is a sense of frustration amongst some of the people. In his speech, he talked, he directly talks about no fear in this. If you want to discuss this across the country, let’s discuss the facts on what this means. Let’s not call each other names. Let’s ensure that everything about this subject is redressed rather completely. How did we get here? How do we get forward from here so we have a better federation going forward?
NK: Do you think that that’s enough of a signal, or a nudge at this stage to, to address the separatist voices within the UCP?
GM: Well, the UCP as a party is a provincial party. And my colleagues and I and the federal Parliament are members of the federal Conservative Party. Our goal is to govern this country. We’re not going to do that unless we embrace the full value we can bring to this country as far as an open economy that goes coast-to-coast. So, you think about how much benefit we get from being a larger economy, a larger country, and making sure that the, what we have to do in Confederation to ensure that all regions of the country prosper.
NK: I spoke with Monte Solberg a couple of weeks ago on the show. I’ll ask you what I asked him. You know, these are the kinds of issues that, that have people talking around their, their dinner tables, within families or friendship groups. Do you have family or friends that are pro-separation?
GM: Not that I know of. But I imagine that the, you know, the discussion is being had everywhere about what this means and what the path forward is. But take a look at, as Pierre did in his speech today, about the long history we have and the pride we have in this nation. And think about all the people in Alberta that are the most patriotic Canadians you can find. These are people that want to make sure that we continue to have a federation that works for everybody. So, having questions about how we make this work better does not make you a disloyal Canadian. It makes you somebody that wants to address the issues that are holding us back in this country economically. And, you know, it’s landing right now on the, on the laps of the Liberal government. And I think we’ve got to address what rules were not played effectively here, and how we’ve held back parts of the economy that would have been to the benefit of all Canadians.
NK: Greg McLean, I appreciate you coming on the show. Thanks for this.
GM: My pleasure. Thank you.
CH: Greg McLean is the Conservative MP for Calgary Centre. We reached him in Calgary.