Carney urges Alberta to reject path toward separation from Canada

Canadian Prime Minister Mark Carney urged Albertans to support national unity in the October 19 vote at a rally in Calgary on October 15, warning that a step toward separation would bring prolonged division and uncertainty.

Carney said the world had become more dangerous and divided and that some forces outside Canada's borders wanted to break the country apart and control it. He did not name a particular state in that passage.

Albertans must choose between remaining in Canada and empowering the provincial government to begin the legal process for a future separation referendum. Carney urged voters not to use the ballot simply to express frustration with Ottawa.

The prime minister acknowledged provincial grievances after longstanding disputes with the federal government over energy and powers. He pointed to an agreed oil pipeline to the Pacific as evidence of a changed relationship. He said it would create 140,000 jobs and reduce Canada's dependence on the United States.

Pro-independence campaigner Tanya Clemens said agreements between Carney and Alberta Premier Danielle Smith failed to resolve the province's long-term concerns. Fellow campaigner Keith Wilson rejected the argument that global instability made this the wrong time.

Clemens also described the coming vote as a way to give Alberta more leverage in negotiations with the federal government.