Premier Danielle Smith will make an address at Canada Strong and Free event this afternoon

Federal Conservative Leader Pierre Poilievre said separatists intent on sending Ottawa a message when voting in Alberta’s referendum should pursue “restoration” rather than secession to better address historical grievances with the federal government.

While campaigning for Canadian unity in Calgary on Friday, Poilievre delivered a message aimed at those who might vote as a means of “taking out their frustration on the current federal government.”

“Canada is more than a government. It is a people, a flag, a land, a history and a promise,” Poilievre told a crowd of more than 150 attendees at a Canada Strong and Free event at the BMO Centre.

“What you really want to restore is the Canada that you knew and still love: the solid border, safe streets, affordable food, homes, boundless resource wealth and opportunity for everyone.

“So our real goal should not be separation. It should be restoration,” he added. “It should not be to tear down our country, but to build it up.”

The federal Opposition leader’s remarks came three days before Albertans are set to head to the polls to cast their votes on 10 questions, including one that asks whether they want to remain in Canada or support the provincial government in starting the legal process toward holding a second, binding referendum on secession.

Alberta Premier Danielle Smith was slated to speak at the event later Friday afternoon.

Smith on Friday appeared alongside Prime Minister Mark Carney at a Canadian unity event in Red Deer, where she said that while the two don’t always agree, they’re united when it comes to Alberta’s place in Confederation.

“We often disagree quite publicly on several things. But today, we can all agree that on Question 10, that we are voting for Option 1 to remain in Canada,” Smith said.

Smith highlighted progress she said has been made on several fronts to address Western discontent with federal policies.

The premier said she has seen “some real change” in the past 18 months when it comes to Alberta-Ottawa relations, pointing to “substantial” progress on addressing nine “bad laws” she previously identified to Carney, as well as movement on major projects such as the Pacific Link pipeline between Alberta and British Columbia, and a Calgary-to-Edmonton high-speed rail line.

While the two leaders appeared in lockstep in their message of Canadian unity, Smith did highlight their differing positions on the other nine referendum questions, four of which deal with potential changes to the country’s Constitution, and five on immigration.

Carney has publicly stated his support for voting “no to the nine,” whereas Smith and her government are urging Albertans to vote “yes to the rest.”

“I have bad news for you prime minister, all of the premiers are interested in talking about immigration and how we might be able to reform it,” she said.

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