I like what he’s saying but I still want Alberta to get out….even if he were to be elected PM!

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Conservative Leader Pierre Poilievre says Canada must stop “mistaking engagement for dependence” on Beijing and instead unlock its own energy and mineral wealth to gain “unbreakable leverage abroad” including by fast-tracking a pipeline to the Pacific.

In a keynote address delivered to the Economic Club of Canada, titled Stronger at Home — Leverage Abroad, Poilievre argued that Canada cannot control foreign leaders, including U.S. President Donald Trump, but does have control over its own economic future.

“Canada cannot control the decisions of foreign presidents. We cannot control global shocks or the volatility of the world,” Poilievre said. “But we can control the strength of our own country.”

A central theme of the speech was a warning against shifting Canada’s economic alignment toward Beijing amid trade tensions with Washington.

“China is not a substitute for the United States,” Poilievre said bluntly.

While emphasizing that Canada seeks no conflict with the Chinese people, he drew a sharp distinction with the Chinese state.

“We seek no fight with China or its people, who make up a brilliant and extraordinary civilization,” he said. “But its government and its proxies have kidnapped our citizens, stolen our technology, interfered in our elections and pushed fentanyl onto our streets.”

Poilievre argued that talk of pivoting away from the U.S. toward a deeper strategic partnership with Beijing would be misguided, noting that Canada sells “20 times more to the U.S. than to China.”

“Canada should talk and trade where prudent but never mistake engagement for dependence,” he said.

The speech comes just weeks after Prime Minister Mark Carney announced a new trade arrangement with China following talks with Chinese President Xi Jinping in Beijing. Under the deal, China is expected to reduce tariffs on Canadian canola seed to roughly 15 per cent and temporarily lift duties on canola meal, seafood and peas, while Canada will allow up to 49,000 Chinese-made electric vehicles into the domestic market at the most-favoured-nation tariff rate of 6.1 per cent.

The Prime Minister’s Office described the agreement as part of a broader Canada–China “strategic partnership” aimed at stabilizing trade and expanding exports, marking a shift after previous tariffs were imposed on Chinese EVs, steel and aluminum to protect Canada’s auto sector.

As part of what he called a broader “Sovereignty Act,” Poilievre proposed using federal powers to rapidly approve a new pipeline to the Pacific capable of shipping more than $30 billion worth of oil annually to overseas markets.

“All of these measures will be bundled together,” he said, arguing that resource expansion would strengthen both affordability and autonomy at home.

By boosting energy exports and securing mineral supply chains, Poilievre said Canada could improve its dollar, raise purchasing power and enter trade talks with greater confidence.

“The two biggest pressures facing Canada’s economy — affordability and autonomy — share the same solutions: abundant low-cost energy and unblocking resources,” he said.

Rather than choosing between global powers, Poilievre proposed strengthening Canada’s position by expanding domestic energy production and turning critical resources into strategic assets.

He called for the creation of a Canadian-controlled Strategic Energy and Mineral Reserve, stocked with domestically stored oil, gas and NATO-critical minerals.

“Guaranteed access to critical minerals is about more than economics. It is power and security,” he said. “No modern economy or military functions without secure energy.”

Such a reserve, he argued, would be available to secure Canada and its allies during war, crisis or supply disruptions and could serve as leverage in trade negotiations.

“When we unlock our resources, we must maximize their geopolitical value,” Poilievre said. “Such reserves would strengthen Canada’s resilience and negotiating leverage while remaining fully sovereign assets.”

Canada currently produces 10 of 12 NATO defence-critical minerals, he noted, and possesses one of the world’s largest energy endowments. But he argued that federal regulatory barriers have prevented the country from fully capitalizing on that advantage.

“The reality is that some of the worst tariffs imposed on Canada today are those imposed by the government here,” he said, citing slow permits, high taxes and shipping bans. “Our problem is not that these countries block our products from coming in, but that our own government blocks our products from getting out.”

Throughout the speech, Poilievre returned to the idea that sovereignty is not rhetorical but practical.

“Sovereignty is not declared,” he said in closing. “It is built — deliberately, decisively, and without excuses.”

Canada’s destiny, he added, “will never be written in Washington, Beijing, or anywhere else — but here at home, by Canadians.”

The Conservative leader framed his approach as neither anti-American nor pro-China, but rooted in strengthening domestic capacity first.

“When we are stronger at home,” Poilievre said, “we have leverage abroad.”

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