Canadian Conservative leader Pierre Poilievre delivered a speech on Friday that called for Canadians to stay united in the face of an uncertain world, amid growing separatist sentiments in Alberta and Quebec.
A house divided cannot stand, Poilievre said in Calgary, ahead of a consequential vote where party members will decide whether he should stay on as leader.
A leadership vote is automatically triggered by the party after an election loss — in this case Poilievre's defeat to Mark Carney's Liberals last April, where he also lost his own seat.
Despite the political setbacks, some delegates told the BBC that they still have confidence in Poilievre to lead them into the next election.
In a nearly hour-long speech that doubled as a pitch to Conservative voters at the party's convention in Calgary, Alberta, Poilievre outlined his vision for Canada's future should his party form the next government.
He focused much of his messaging on affordability and crime — issues that have long resonated with his base — and promised a small government that will represent people who have felt unseen for too long.
Poilievre also touched on geopolitical tensions facing Canada, including its strained relationship with the US, arguing that the same domestic policies he is pitching will also help Canada stand on its own two feet.
His speech was made amid a backdrop of a growing grassroots separatist movement in the Conservative stronghold of Alberta, where a process of collecting signatures to trigger an independence referendum is underway.
In Quebec, the sovereignist Parti Québécois is also polling ahead, promising their own independence referendum in Quebec should they get elected as the provincial government later this year.
Poilievre addressed these threats to Canadian unity in his speech, blaming the Liberal party for people losing hope in the confederation.
Party members who spoke to the BBC said the speech was well received, praising it for sticking to traditional Conservative messaging while also confronting separatism — what one member called the elephant in the room.
Poilievre has remained popular with his party despite the Conservative's loss last year, as well as the loss of his own seat which he had held for more than 20 years.
He later won back a seat in parliament in an Alberta by-election, which he won with more than 80% of the vote.
In recent months, two elected Conservative MPs have left the party to join the Liberals, who under Carney have adopted more centrist policies, raising questions about the party's unity and Poilievre's leadership.
But supporters of Poilievre credit him with delivering historic gains for the party, which received a record 41% of the popular vote last year.
In particular, the Conservative leader has been successful in courting young voters through his messaging on affordability issues like the cost of living and housing.
He has struggled, however, with defining his party's stance on US President Donald Trump, whom many Canadians have come to view as an existential threat due to his tariffs on Canada and his 51st state rhetoric.
Poilievre has also struggled with his likeability, with surveys showing that more than half of Canadians hold a negative view of him. Many cite his tone, which they view as overly combative.
Polls indicate his party is still trailing, with a Léger poll released this week showing the Conservatives nine points behind the Liberals.
Friday's leadership review vote is a key moment for both Poilievre's and the party's future.
It is the party's first leadership review since 2004, when former prime minister Stephen Harper won 84% of the vote. Harper later resigned after losing the 2015 election.
The vote will take place shortly after Poilievre's speech. Ballots will be cast in person by delegates that had been selected to represent Conservative voters in each constituency across Canada.
