Carney makes final appeal over Alberta separation

‘DANGEROUS BLUFF’: Although not a direct vote on Alberta’s independence, Carney said that a vote against Canada would ‘lead to years of uncertainty’ for the province

Canadian Prime Minister Mark Carney made a final appeal to voters considering a path toward independence in his home province of Alberta on Friday, warning that a referendum is a dangerous gamble at a time of growing threats to Canada’s sovereignty.

With US President Donald Trump waging a trade war and threatening to make Canada the 51st state, Carney said that the referendum comes at the “worst possible time” and urged Albertans not to take the outcome for granted.

“This is not a game. This is not poker. A vote against Canada is a dangerous bluff that will lead to years of deep uncertainty and lost opportunities for Albertans and Canadians,” Carney told a pro-Canada rally in Edmonton, where he grew up.

Canadian Prime Minister Mark Carney speaks at a rally on Canadian unity at the Edmonton Expo Center in Edmonton, Alberta, on Friday.

Photo: AFP

Monday’s vote is not a direct referendum on independence. Alberta, home to most of Canada’s proven oil reserves — the fourth largest in the world — would decide whether to remain a province or instruct the government to begin the legal process toward a future referendum on separation.

Carney’s closing appeal came after two days of campaigning against separation in the province. Earlier on Friday, the liberal prime minister joined Alberta’s conservative premier Danielle Smith in a show of unity against independence.

Smith praised Carney for improving relations with a province that frequently clashed with his predecessor, Justin Trudeau, over his carbon tax and other energy policies.

“I think what we can agree on is that we have had some real change in the last 18 months,” Smith said alongside Carney in Red Deer, Alberta.

At Thursday’s Calgary rally and Friday’s Edmonton rally, the crowd erupted in its loudest applause when Carney spoke about reducing Canada’s economic dependence on the US.

Carney acknowledged Alberta’s longstanding resentment of federal energy policies.

“Growing up, I remember how Ottawa made Albertans feel like our resources weren’t our own,” he said.

However, he also emphasized his deep ties to the province.

“Alberta is my home. I grew up here. This city, this province, this country have given me everything: my family, my education, my values,” he said.

Outside the Edmonton rally venue on Friday, Alberta independence supporters waved flags and held a sign reading: “say no to Carney’s new world order.”

Smith called the referendum despite opposing independence herself. She recently cited a poll showing 22 percent of Albertans support separation, a figure she said was still too high.

Smith also faces pressure from separatists within her governing United Conservative Party. Former Premier Jason Kenney said the independence movement gained influence within the party as activists angry over COVID-19 restrictions, some influenced by conspiracy theories, embraced separatism.

However, some Albertans who want to remain in Canada are angry with Smith for calling the vote.

“I think it’s a travesty really to be putting our province and our country through this when such a small portion of people are rabble rousing and saying they want to separate from Canada,” said Deb Lee, a retired Calgary resident who voted in advance to remain in Canada.

Smith said Carney had substantially addressed seven of nine federal laws Alberta opposed. She also cited cooperation on a proposed oil pipeline.

Independence advocate Tanya Clemens dismissed the agreements between Carney and Smith as “basically pinky promises” that came with too many conditions.