Carney says Canada 'worth fighting for' ahead of Alberta separation vote

OTTAWA · Prime Minister Mark Carney says Canada is "worth fighting for," a week ahead of Alberta's separation referendum. In a Thanksgiving Day video message filmed in his old high school in Edmonton, Carney said the federal government is building "big things" in Alberta, including a new pipeline to the West Coast. But he said Canada cannot achieve those goals if the country is divided. "You can't build big things on fault lines," Carney said.

Albertans will vote on Oct. 19 on whether the province should stay in Canada or hold a second, binding separation referendum. The outcome will not automatically trigger separation but will gauge support for a future binding vote. Carney, who noted he grew up in Alberta, said the country must be strong as it faces threats to its economy, security and culture. "Generations of Albertans helped build this country. It's yours, it's ours, and it's worth fighting for," he said.

Conservative Leader Pierre Poilievre is scheduled to speak in Calgary on Friday to urge the province to stay within Canada. Poilievre has previously said he will travel to Alberta ahead of the referendum. In his own Thanksgiving message, B.C. NDP Leader David Eby, who is in a provincial election campaign, also encouraged Albertans to vote for unity, saying the two provinces have bonds of family, friendship and business and are "stronger together." The federal government recently designated the Pacific Link oil pipeline from Alberta to the B.C. coast as the first major project of national interest, a move Alberta Premier Danielle Smith touted as "demonstrating that co-operative federalism can work in action." However, some Albertans view the timing of federal announcements with skepticism. "Those announcements could have been made months ago, but they weren't," said Angela Tabak, co-founder of the Alberta Women’s Independence Network.

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"The political games that get played on the Canadian people, Albertans are not that stupid. We see through it," Tabak told CBC's Rosemary Barton Live. She said that in her view, Albertans' voices, opinions, way of life and economies do not count as much in federal decision-making as other areas of the country. Carney is expected to be in Alberta in the coming week as the referendum approaches, according to CBC News.

The prime minister also says his government is tracking allegations of foreign interference in the upcoming vote. Canada's new foreign influence commissioner said he notified more than 60 groups and individuals involved with the Alberta referendum campaign about legal obligations to report foreign influence. A Globe and Mail report from Oct. 3 said some pro-separatist organizers had met with U.S. entities and discussed offering greater access to Alberta's oil and freshwater resources in exchange for support.

Intergovernmental Affairs Minister Dominic LeBlanc played down concerns about interference. "I don't think it's more intense than we would have expected. We have for some time been aware of different foreign actors that seek to interfere in democratic processes in Canada. It's not new," LeBlanc told Rosemary Barton Live. Asked about the reported meetings, LeBlanc said, "We'll let those people explain to Albertans why they thought it was useful to take some trip to Washington and meet some people in a foreign administration."

Tesla and SpaceX CEO Elon Musk also waded into the debate last week, calling for Alberta, Quebec and Saskatchewan to separate from Canada on his social media platform X. His comments were quickly rejected by Carney, Smith and Saskatchewan Premier Scott Moe. Poilievre responded that "we need to spend less time worrying about silly tweets by people who have no power over what Canadians do." Former Alberta NDP premier Rachel Notley said Albertans considering separation should ask themselves "why certain folks south of the border think they have something to gain from Alberta separating." LeBlanc expressed confidence that the decision remains in the hands of Albertans. "I'm very, very confident that these decisions, if it's in a referendum or if it's in an election, are made by Canadians who go to polling stations and cast their ballots," he said.

With files from The Canadian Press, CityNews and CBC News