Carney Makes Final Appeal as Alberta Holds Its Separation Vote Today, Calling It a Dangerous Gamble
Canadian Prime Minister Mark Carney made a final appeal on Friday (Oct. 16) to voters in his home province of Alberta ahead of today's separation vote (Monday, Oct. 19), warning at a pro-Canada rally in Edmonton that the vote is a dangerous gamble at a time of growing threats to Canada's sovereignty, the Associated Press reported.
With U.S. President Donald Trump waging a trade war and threatening to make Canada the 51st state, Carney warned the referendum comes at the "worst possible time" and urged Albertans not to take the outcome for granted. "Don't let anyone tell you this is already decided. Turnout will determine the outcome," he told the rally in Edmonton, where he grew up. "This is not a game. This is not poker. A vote against Canada is a dangerous bluff that will lead to years of deep uncertainty and lost opportunities for Albertans and Canadians," he said.
Today's vote is not a direct referendum on independence: Alberta, home to most of Canada's proven oil reserves — the fourth largest in the world — will decide whether to remain a province or instruct the government to begin the legal process toward a future referendum on separation. Carney's appeal came after two days of campaigning against separation in the province. Earlier Friday, he joined Alberta's conservative premier, Danielle Smith, in a show of unity against independence. Smith praised Carney for improving relations with a province that frequently clashed with his predecessor, Justin Trudeau, over his carbon tax and other energy policies. "I think what we can agree on is that we have had some real change in the last 18 months," Smith said alongside Carney in Red Deer. Noting Carney grew up in Alberta and remains an Edmonton Oilers fan, she joked: "He can't be all bad, right?"
"Some outside our borders are working to break us so they can own us. Never. Never," Carney warned in Edmonton on Friday, repeating a warning he made a day earlier in Calgary. Smith called the referendum despite opposing independence herself; she recently cited a poll showing 22% of Albertans support separation, a figure she said was still too high. Carney's chief political rival, federal Conservative leader Pierre Poilievre, also urged Albertans on Friday to remain in Canada: "Don't leave your fellow Canadians behind. Lock arms with them." Despite their agreement on keeping Alberta in Canada, Carney and Smith remain divided over nine other questions on today's ballot involving immigration and provincial powers: Smith wants voters to approve them, while Carney has urged their rejection. (GSM, reporting from the Associated Press)
Source: GSM · USA (original Chinese edition)
Photo: 加拿大总理 Mark Carney（资料图）。图片来源：The White House / Wikimedia Commons，公共领域
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