Alberta is an essential part of the country, Prime Minister Mark Carney said Friday, as he pressed the case for making Canada better by working together rather than breaking it up.
His brief remarks were delivered a day after Alberta Premier Danielle Smith announced she will include a question on separation in a referendum this fall. Albertans will be asked whether they want the province to remain in Canada or, instead, if they want to start the legal process to hold a binding, second referendum on separation.
Standing alone inside the shuttered Library of Parliament, Mr. Carney lauded the “huge contributions” of Albertans to the country and said his government is focused on improving what’s already there.
“Canada is the greatest country in the world, but it can be better. And we’re working on making it better. We’re working with Alberta on making it better,” Mr. Carney said.
“We’re working in a spirit of co-operative federalism to make the country better.”
Ms. Smith’s announcement triggered a five-month campaign before the Oct. 19 vote. While talk of a separation referendum has simmered in Alberta for months, Ottawa had taken a muted approach on the issue until it was made clear that a vote would actually take place.
On Friday, the Prime Minister made his most forceful comments yet on the need for Canada to stay united. He spoke from the historic centre of Parliament Hill, which is currently closed to the public for a years-long heritage renovation project. He linked that rehabilitation work to the efforts his government is making to build Canada up.
“We’re renovating the country as we go, and Alberta being at the centre of that is essential,” he said.
Mr. Carney pointed to negotiations with the Prairie province that led to a new agreement on climate policies and a new pipeline to the West Coast, as a concrete example of Alberta making gains within Canada.
He also said his government is taking the same approach across the country to help bolster all provincial and territorial economies, including in British Columbia, where he has signalled federal support for a port expansion and energy projects. Mr. Carney said Ottawa is participating in talks between Quebec and Newfoundland and Labrador on Churchill Falls, and in Ontario, the focus is on opportunities in nuclear power.
The Prime Minister pledged to work across party lines, with the federal Conservatives, all Alberta MPs and Ms. Smith to “make Alberta stronger, more resilient, more prosperous, within a strong Canada.”
In B.C. on Friday, Conservative Leader Pierre Poilievre said he and his party will go to every corner of Alberta to make the case for Canada.
“Conservatives love Canada. I love Canada. We’re going to fight for a united Canada every day, in every way,” Mr. Poilievre said.
He said he wants Albertans to “feel that they are in charge of their own destiny within Canada” and wants to see a “stronger Alberta within a united Canada.”
Federal NDP Leader Avi Lewis was not available to provide a comment on Friday. In a statement, Alberta NDP MP Heather McPherson acknowledged the frustration of some Albertans.
“While Western alienation is real and our country is not perfect, Canada is shaped and strengthened by diverse people, regions, and experiences,” she said.
Alberta’s Premier has often accused Ottawa of enacting policies that put a chill on investments. However, it’s now Ms. Smith’s actions that could hurt the economic climate, the Canadian Chamber of Commerce suggested in a Friday statement.
“Alberta’s prosperity and Canada’s economic success both depend on reducing barriers to growth and investment, not introducing new uncertainty,” said Candace Laing, the president and chief executive of the Canadian Chamber of Commerce.
“You don’t add to economic success or effectively address issues by dividing.”
It’s a move that Ontario Premier Doug Ford said Friday he would never pull in Ontario.
“I’d never do it. Premier Smith knows how I feel,” he said. Mr. Ford suggested that the decision to call the referendum was motivated by the need to protect her political base.
“It’s not going to win, as far as I’m concerned. It’d be a disaster for Alberta to split away from our country. We have the greatest nation from coast to coast to coast. I’m proud to be Canadian.”
With reports from Campbell Clark and Tim Kiladze