Canadian Prime Minister Carney makes case for Canadian unity as Alberta referendum nears

TORONTO (AP) — Canadian Prime Minister Mark Carney on Monday urged Alberta to remain in Canada, warning that a vote next week on whether to hold a referendum on leaving Canada would begin a “long and uncertain process” at a dangerous time for the country.

“This year, Thanksgiving is a bit different,” Carney said in a holiday message to Canadians. “A week from today, Albertans will have the opportunity to make an important decision about their future, whether to remain part of Canada or begin a long and uncertain process through which Alberta could separate from Canada.”

Canada celebrates Thanksgiving in October, unlike the U.S., where it falls in late November.

The Oct. 19 vote asks Albertans whether the province should remain in Canada or begin the process of holding a referendum on separation.

Alberta’s independence movement has grown after years of organizing. Some of its leaders emerged from the 2022 “Freedom Convoy,” which began as a protest against the COVID-19 vaccine mandate for cross-border truckers and grew into weeks of demonstrations against pandemic restrictions and then-Prime Minister Justin Trudeau’s Liberal government.

The vote comes as U.S. President Donald Trump’s trade war and threats to Canada’s sovereignty have badly strained relations between the longtime allies. Trump has repeatedly talked about making Canada the 51st U.S. state.

Alberta Premier Danielle Smith, who called the vote, supports remaining in Canada. She has said recent polling put support for separation at roughly 22%, a level she called “still too high for my liking.”

Keith Wilson, a leader of the independence movement, urged Albertans to back a path toward a separation referendum, arguing the province needs “leverage and lasting change” in its dealings with Ottawa. “What protects us when Ottawa turns against Alberta again?” he wrote on social media.

Carney, who grew up in Edmonton, pointed to a proposed West Coast pipeline from oil-rich Alberta as an example of what the province can achieve within Canada. The project is intended to open new markets and help Canada diversify its oil exports beyond the United States.

He also cited new housing and high-speed rail as he argued that Canada is building major projects again and that division would make that harder.

“Canada is working,” Carney said. “Truth is, we can’t achieve any of this if we’re divided. You can’t build big things on fault lines.”

Carney said Canada faces “real threats to our economy, to our security, to our way of life,” adding: “We have to be strong and we are stronger together.”

“Generations of Albertans helped build this country,” Carney said. “It’s yours. It’s ours. And it’s worth fighting for.”

Even a vote for separation in a future referendum would not automatically make Alberta independent. A 1998 Supreme Court ruling found that provinces cannot secede unilaterally and negotiations with the federal government would have to follow.