Carney vows a better Canada after Alberta plans a vote on seeking independence
Prime Minister Mark Carney said Friday he was committed to building a better Canada after the leader of the country’s oil-rich province of Alberta announced a referendum on whether to move toward independence.
Alberta Premier Danielle Smith said Thursday that a vote will be held on Oct. 19 on whether Alberta should remain in Canada or take legal steps under the Constitution to hold a binding referendum on secession. This did not meet the wishes of activists who wanted an immediate referendum on secession from Canada.
In his first statement since Smith’s announcement, Carney said Albertans have made great contributions to Canada.
“Canada is the greatest country in the world, but it can be better and we’re working to make it better. We’re working with Alberta to make it better,” Carney said as he toured the Parliament buildings under renovation.
Carney stated that his government is working on building a new oil pipeline from Alberta to Canada’s Pacific coast. Many Albertans have long complained that Ottawa is not doing enough to bring Alberta’s vast oil reserves to market.
Smith reiterated Thursday that he supports keeping Alberta in Canada. Some compared his stance to that of Britain’s then-Prime Minister David Cameron before the Brexit referendum; Cameron had embraced this as a way of managing a vocal faction of the ruling party while not wanting Britain to leave the European Union.
A “yes” vote in the referendum does not trigger independence. Negotiations will need to be held with the federal government.
Ian Brodie, former chief of staff to former Conservative Prime Minister Stephen Harper and now a professor of political science at the University of Calgary, said Smith is treading very carefully.
“It’s a poll to see if people want votes. It’s a good way to let undecided voters oppose secession,” Brodie said.
Jeff Rath, a lawyer for Stay Free Alberta, a group collecting signatures to force a secession referendum, called the move an insult to those seeking independence. Cam Davies, leader of Alberta’s pro-independence Republican Party, agreed, calling Smith’s referendum question “spineless.”
Daniel Béland, a political science professor at McGill University in Montreal, said Smith appeared determined to appease his own party’s supporters who want a referendum. Béland said he would likely lose a future referendum as support for secession was just under 30 per cent, but said campaigns were important.
Candace Laing, president and CEO of the Canadian Chamber of Commerce, criticized Smith’s decision, saying businesses across Canada, including Alberta, need predictability to invest, create jobs, attract talent and build major projects.
“Prolonged uncertainty over constitutional or political separation brings real risks to investor confidence, economic growth and Canada’s global competitiveness at exactly the wrong time,” Laing said in a statement.
James Moore, a former federal Conservative Cabinet minister, also weighed in on the issue.
“A referendum that will split your party and make the state look unstable from an investment standpoint, ultimately confirming the constitutional status quo, is a strange choice,” Moore said on social media.
