Prime Minister Mark Carney will attend pro-Canada rallies in Calgary on Oct. 15 and Edmonton on Oct. 16, urging Albertans to stay in Canada ahead of the province’s Oct. 19 referendum.
The events are organized by Forever Canadian, a campaign launched by former Alberta deputy premier Thomas Lukaszuk, who invited Carney; the Prime Minister’s Office confirmed he would attend both. The ballot includes 10 questions, with one asking whether Alberta should remain in Canada or begin a process toward a future vote on separation. The Oct. 19 result will not itself make Alberta independent.
In a Thanksgiving message posted Monday from his former Edmonton high school, Carney described separation as a long and uncertain path and argued that Alberta and Canada can accomplish more together. He pointed to a proposed pipeline from Alberta to the West Coast as an example of major projects the country could pursue, and said division would make that harder. Carney also invoked economic, security and cultural challenges facing Canada, saying generations of Albertans helped build the country.
Conservative Leader Pierre Poilievre is also expected to deliver a Canadian-unity speech in Calgary on Oct. 16.