Conservative Leader Pierre Poilievre, shown in Windsor, Ont., last month, said he is heading back to Alberta to fight for Canada and lock 'arms with my home province to make this country affordable, safe and independent.'Dax Melmer/The Canadian Press
Conservative Leader Pierre Poilievre is headlining a fundraiser in Alberta in a bid to bolster efforts by his party’s MPs to mount a paid campaign against separation.
Mr. Poilievre will speak at a Conservatives for Canada event at an Edmonton airport hotel on Tuesday, along with other stops in the province this week.
He told reporters on Sunday that he is heading back to Alberta to fight for Canada and lock “arms with my home province to make this country affordable, safe and independent.”
Albertans will vote on Oct. 19 in a referendum that includes a question on whether the province should remain part of Canada or start the legal process to hold a second, binding referendum on separation.
Ms. Smith has said that if approved by voters, the formal separation referendum could happen within months.
Since the October vote was announced, nearly 30 third-party groups have registered with Elections Alberta so they can legally mobilize voters, buy ads, conduct polls and engage in other related activities.
Altogether, the groups have raised almost $1.6-million to date, the most recent financial disclosures show.
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The group Let Alberta Decide, which is in favour of separation, has raised $547,906.08 so far.
The federalist group Alberta’s Voice is the second-best fundraiser, with $264,984.68.
Conservatives for Canada has raised $11,200 since the group registered on Sept. 2.
Four of the six listed donors to Conservatives for Canada appear to be current Conservative MPs from Alberta, including Dane Lloyd. He was tapped by Mr. Poilievre to spearhead the caucus response to the referendum.
A fifth donor appears to be a former provincial MLA. The name of the sixth matches the name of an Alberta businessman from Sturgeon County.
Combined, the six donors have donated $8,500. The remainder is donations under $250, and the names of those donors are not disclosed.
In an e-mailed statement, Mr. Lloyd said the funds raised at Tuesday’s event will support get-out-the-vote efforts.
“Voter turnout will be critical in this referendum, so the focus is on campaigning,” he said.
“This includes door knocking, lawn signs, informational literature, phone calls and advertising, all with the goal of ensuring Albertans get out to vote for a stronger Alberta within a united Canada.”
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Third-party groups can spend a maximum of $607,000 during the campaign. As per the Elections Alberta website, examples of permitted expenses are administration and office costs, salaries, paid ads, polling and research.
But the scope of what is defined as spending on the referendum itself, as opposed to general political advocacy, has led to criticism that some groups are finding ways to skirt the disclosure process, raising concerns about how funding is being sourced and spent.
Elections Alberta rules limit donations to those who live in the province. Some have called on the federal government to find ways to bankroll federalist campaigns that have struggled to fundraise at the same pace as the separatists.
Prime Minister Mark Carney has said his job is proving to Albertans that Canada can work for them and they should stay part of it.