CTV News Edmonton has reported:

Conservative MP Dane Lloyd says Albertans want a stronger Alberta within a united Canada, as the federal Conservatives campaign ahead of an Alberta referendum on separation. The party is urging voters to reject a second separation referendum by choosing Option 1 on Question 10, which would keep Alberta part of Canada. Lloyd said the campaign would continue through Oct. 19, the final day to vote.

The Conservatives launched their Conservatives for Canada campaign in early September, following consultations with Albertans over the summer. Lloyd said the message he heard was that residents do not object to Canada itself, but have concerns about the federal government in Ottawa. He described the response to the campaign as positive and said the party’s central appeal had remained focused on unity and Alberta’s place in Canada.

“We’ve knocked on tens of thousands of doors, we’re literally running out of literature as fast as we can print it,” Lloyd said. He added that the party had recently launched an advertising campaign in advance polls and had reached more than half a million people, with that total expected to rise in the coming days. The campaign’s message, he said, is that Alberta should be stronger while remaining in a united Canada.

Lloyd called the campaign an uplifting experience and said Conservatives planned to keep making their case through the referendum’s final days. Advance polls were scheduled to close on Saturday, while Oct. 19 was the last day to vote. He urged Albertans to participate and said a decisive result for Option 1 would send a message of support for Canada.

Asked about Prime Minister Mark Carney’s visits to Alberta and his public arguments for Canada, Lloyd said it was important for federal and provincial leaders to support a stronger Alberta within a united country. He noted that Conservative Leader Pierre Poilievre had delivered three speeches in support of Canadian unity, gone door knocking and visited communities across Alberta. Lloyd welcomed the prime minister’s presence in the province and said Conservatives for Canada had been working for months toward the same broad outcome.

The interview also addressed whether Poilievre and the prime minister might appear together to promote a shared message of unity. Lloyd said Poilievre had been in Alberta three times, beginning in June, when he delivered what Lloyd called a “stellar speech” in Calgary. He said Poilievre had given another speech in Calgary that day, and characterized all federal parties as united in the message that Canada should remain together.

Lloyd argued that Conservatives for Canada and Poilievre were advocating specifically for a stronger Alberta within a united Canada. He cited the 1.4 million Albertans who voted Conservative in the last federal election, saying the campaign was engaging those voters as well as Albertans more broadly. Its appeal was for voters to choose Option 1 on Question 10 and keep Alberta in Canada.

Lloyd was named his party’s referendum lead in July. Reflecting on the months since taking on that role, he said speaking with Albertans at their doors had been an important part of the work. He repeated that residents had told him they wanted change in Ottawa, while also expressing support for Canada and for a stronger Alberta within it. He said the campaign had received overwhelming support for that position during door knocking.

The interview also asked how much campaign canvassing addressed the referendum’s other nine questions. Lloyd said the Conservatives were concentrating on the separation issue rather than those questions, describing national unity as the central matter. “If we don’t have a united Canada, all these other issues are moot points,” he said. He said his mission was to secure a decisive victory for a united Canada on Oct. 19.

Asked whether the possibility of a second referendum concerned him, Lloyd acknowledged that it did. “Maybe you can tell by my eyes, but I have been fighting so hard to ensure that we get a strong, decisive result,” he said. He described conversations at the doors as uplifting, saying people were patriots who had concerns about Ottawa but wanted to express their affection for Canada and their support for a stronger Alberta.

The interview also raised what Lloyd’s role and the federal political establishment’s responsibility might be if Albertans voted to send separation to a second, binding referendum. He called that a question for the Tuesday morning after the vote, or whenever the referendum results became known. Lloyd said Conservatives would continue their campaign for national unity regardless of the result.

“Conservatives are the party of confederation,” he said. “Conservatives for Canada believe in this country, and no matter what the results of this referendum may be, we will not stop fighting for our great country, Canada. We will not stop fighting for a stronger Alberta within a united Canada.” The interview was conducted by Alberta Primetime host Michael Higgins and edited for length and clarity.