Carney urges Alberta to reject separation path in Monday referendum

Canadian Prime Minister Mark Carney urged Alberta voters on Thursday not to start a process toward separation in Monday's referendum, telling a pro-Canada rally in Calgary that the vote came at the worst possible time. The referendum is not a direct vote on independence. Voters will decide whether Alberta should remain a province or instruct the government to begin the legal process toward a future referendum on separation, according to reports carried by The Seattle Times and PBS NewsHour. [ 2 , 4 ]

Carney said the world had become more dangerous and divided, and warned that people outside Canada's borders were working to break the country so they could own it. He did not explicitly name the United States or President Donald Trump in that passage, the reports said, although he had done so in similar past speeches. The remarks came amid a US trade war with Canada and Trump's repeated threats to make it the 51st US state. Carney has argued that Canada needs greater economic resilience and less dependence on the United States. [ 2 , 4 ]

The prime minister urged Albertans not to treat the vote simply as a way to send Ottawa a message. He said a vote against Canada would lead to years of division and uncertainty, while a decisive result could settle the separation question. Carney, who grew up in Alberta, campaigned in Calgary before addressing the Forever Canadian rally at the BMO Centre. His office estimated attendance at about 5,000 people. Organizers were also holding a second rally with him in Edmonton on Friday. Earlier Thursday, he cited people born or educated elsewhere in Canada and firefighters helping Alberta during wildfires as examples of the province's ties to the country. [ 2 , 4 ]