Would a bad canister purge solenoid cause loss of pick up?

Not normally unless there were other problems. The Purge Solenoid purges(removes and blends) excess gasoline fumes back into the fuel system. If the purge valve is faulty, you will get a Service Engine Light on all of the time.

Loss of pick up can be caused by many other factors. Gas line or fuel filter clogged, bad fuel pressure regulator, bad ERG valve, loss of vacuum, etc. The car needs to be scanned with a proper scan computer to get the codes that direct a mechanic to possible causes.