Alberta separation referendum: Carney reaches out to Indo-Canadians citing stronger India ties

Prime Minister Mark Carney cited stronger ties with India as he reached out to the Indo-Canadian community in Alberta ahead of a separation referendum on Monday. He said the two sides were discussing a trade deal in an interview with RedFM Calgary, which is popular with Alberta’s Punjabi-speaking community.

Carney asked RedFM Calgary listeners to reject leaving Canada. “The world is more dangerous; it is more divided. On the other side of the equation, the world wants to do more with Canada. Prime Minister [Narendra] Modi and I, when we are discussing, we are discussing all the opportunities we have together in energy, in education, in agriculture, in artificial intelligence, in aerospace, in people-to-people ties, in cultural ties. That is what we want to do as Albertans, as Canadians, is to move forward,” he said, and announced Modi’s two-day visit in December.

Carney said they are very pleased that Modi is coming. “And what we are looking to build up for that is deeper cooperation on trade. We are negotiating a very ambitious trade deal with India right now,” he said, referring to the Comprehensive Economic Partnership Agreement (CEPA), which is in the final stages of negotiations. He said it is an exciting time because they are Canada, which includes Alberta.

Carney referred to his interaction with the Indo-Canadian community as part of his outreach at a restaurant. “They are ready to get out and vote like Canada depends on it — because it does.”

Carney said his government was helping to realise the full potential of Alberta’s energy, and cited an agreement to move forward with the Pacific Link pipeline from the Port of Vancouver to export crude from the province to markets in Asia, including possibly to India. “There are talks around that,” he said.

The Alberta Referendum will be held on October 19 on whether the province should remain in Canada. The referendum questions include whether the provincial government should commence the legal process required under the Constitution to hold a binding provincial referendum on whether or not Alberta should separate from Canada. There is about 30% support for separation, according to recent polls.

RedFM Calgary’s host Rishi Nagar said Indo-Canadians mostly prefer to stay in Canada. Five of the 10 questions in the referendum vote refer to immigration. “That makes the vote even more critical for the community. The community has taken it as anti-immigrant. The [provincial] ruling party is trying to convince people it is against policies, not anti-immigrant. But the rhetoric is already out there.” Nagar cited the feedback he has received and said the general sentiment was against separation.

The secessionist outfit Sikhs for Justice (SFJ) has favoured the separatist bloc. This month, SFJ general counsel Gurpatwant Pannun said, “Whether it is the people of Alberta determining Alberta’s political future or Sikhs determining Punjab’s political future, the fundamental democratic principle is the same: the political future of a people should be determined by the people.”

SFJ is organising the next round of its so-called Khalistan referendum on October 18 in Edmonton, the provincial capital.

Carney will travel to Edmonton and Red Deer in Alberta on Friday as he continues stumping against the separation vote.