CAMROSE, Alta. — Conservative Leader Pierre Poilievre says the fate of this year’s harvest in central Alberta hinges on the weather over the next month, as farmers grapple with the aftermath of record rainfall and flooding.
Speaking at an afternoon press conference in Camrose on Thursday, the Battle River-Crowfoot MP shared what he has been hearing from local agricultural producers during his travels through the region.
Poilievre noted that the outlook varies significantly depending on the area. While regions such as Tofield have been hit hard by the recent deluge, he said other farmers remain optimistic, telling him that crops will be very good if the region receives sufficient heat over the next three to four weeks.
Following his address in Camrose, Poilievre was scheduled to travel to Tofield to meet with local officials and assess the situation firsthand.
While agricultural concerns were a pressing issue for rural constituents, Poilievre’s visit also focused on his opposition to the federal government’s current housing and energy policies. He criticized Prime Minister Mark Carney’s plan to convert vacant condominiums into housing and took aim at a newly announced memorandum of understanding between Ottawa and British Columbia.
That agreement, unveiled Thursday by Carney and B.C. Premier David Eby, paves the way for a potential new bitumen pipeline to southern B.C. while maintaining a ban on oil tankers off the northern coast.
Poilievre criticized the prime minister for upholding the tanker ban, arguing that Canada needs to diversify its export options.
“You got one guy standing in the way of it all, and that’s Mark Carney,” Poilievre said. “Provide the permit, let the private sector build it, get out of the way and get it done.”