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Canadian Prime Minister Mark Carney urged voters in Alberta to support national unity ahead of an Oct. 19 referendum on the province’s future, warning that the vote comes at “the worst possible time” as separatist tensions continue.
Speaking Thursday in Calgary, Alberta’s largest city, Carney said growing global divisions made national unity particularly important.
“This referendum comes at the worst possible time,” Carney said. “The world has become more dangerous and divided. Some beyond our borders are trying to divide us so they can have us.”
Carney warned voters against treating the referendum simply as a way to send a political message.
“This is not poker. A vote against Canada is a dangerous bluff that will lead to years of deep uncertainty and lost opportunities,” he said.
“Vote like Canada depends on it. Because it does.”
Alberta, an oil-rich western province with a population of about 5 million, will vote on Oct. 19 on its relationship with Canada and whether to move toward a future binding independence referendum.
Polling cited by Agence France-Presse (AFP) indicates that fewer than a quarter of Albertans support leaving Canada, though Carney cautioned that “polls don’t vote.”
Alberta Premier Danielle Smith has said she opposes independence but called for a non-binding vote to settle the divisive issue.
Smith has said that if a majority supports independence, she will launch a legally binding separation process. If voters choose to remain in Canada, she has said she will not approve another referendum.
Carney, who grew up in Alberta, has campaigned for Canadian unity ahead of the vote.
Tesla and SpaceX CEO Elon Musk has weighed in on separatist debates in Canada through his account on U.S.-based social media platform X.
“Good. Quebec should leave. They would be better off. Alberta and Saskatchewan should leave too,” Musk wrote.
Carney previously responded that Canada’s future would be determined by Canadians.
“Canada’s future will be decided by Canadians,” he said, adding that Canadians’ priorities, including those of Quebec residents, would determine the country’s direction.
Mitch Sylvestre, head of the Alberta Prosperity Project, a prominent separatist organization, told AFP that his side could “actually win this referendum.”
“I would be very surprised if we got less than 40 percent,” Sylvestre said Tuesday.
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