Canada’s prime minister has taken his country’s unity campaign directly to Alberta. Mark Carney addressed a large pro Canada rally in Calgary on Thursday, warning that the referendum Alberta votes on this Monday comes at the worst possible time, and that some outside Canada’s borders are working to break the country so they can own it. He did not name the United States or President Donald Trump in that passage, but the meaning was plain against Trump’s repeated threats to make Canada the 51st US state and the trade war Washington is waging against Ottawa.
Monday’s vote is not itself a vote on independence. Albertans will decide whether the province should remain in Canada or instruct its government to begin the legal process toward a future referendum on separation. Alberta holds the world’s fourth largest proven oil reserves, and separatist organisers argue that federal policy on energy, immigration and Ottawa’s authority does not serve the province. Polling indicates fewer than one quarter of Albertans support independence, although one prominent separatist leader told AFP his side might win the referendum and would be surprised by less than 40 percent.
Premier Danielle Smith, who called the vote and says she opposes independence, voted on Wednesday to remain in Canada while pressing for reforms. She has committed to launching a legally binding separation process if a majority votes for independence, and to approving no further referendum if a majority votes to stay. Carney, who grew up in Alberta, urged voters not to treat the ballot as a way to send Ottawa a message, warning that a vote against Canada would lead to years of division and uncertainty, and he campaigned in Edmonton on Friday.
Carney has put Alberta’s oil industry at the centre of his plan to solidify Canada’s economy and reduce dependence on the United States, arguing that close economic ties have been permanently fractured by Trump. Status: referendum scheduled for Monday, October 19; advance polling runs through Saturday.