Canadian PM warns Alberta referendum is 'dangerous bluff'
Canadian Prime Minister Mark Carney warned Thursday that Alberta's push for an independence referendum amounts to a "dangerous bluff" that risks years of economic uncertainty and threatens Canada's global standing, drawing direct parallels to the turbulence following the United Kingdom's Brexit vote.
Canadian Prime Minister Mark Carney on Thursday denounced Alberta's upcoming independence referendum as a "dangerous bluff" that threatens to plunge the country into years of uncertainty, likening the separatist campaign to Britain's tumultuous exit from the European Union.
Brexit parallels cited
Speaking at a news conference in Ottawa at the close of the parliamentary sitting, Carney said the referendum drive comes at a pivotal moment when Canada is viewed as one of the world's most desirable destinations for investment. "Right at a time when we're seen as one of the most trustworthy, reliable, desirable countries to do business with. And we shouldn't mess that up," he said.
The prime minister drew explicit comparisons to the United Kingdom's experience with Brexit, noting that separation campaigns typically oversimplify the complexities of leaving a federation. "I saw firsthand what gets sold in these referenda, that everything's going to be easy, that you can keep your passport, you can keep the currency, you can stay in the country and leave it at the same time, you get all the benefits but none of it," Carney said. He added that the subsequent years of turmoil in Britain serve as a cautionary tale for Canadians facing similar rhetoric.
'Cooperative federalism'
Carney outlined three principles guiding his government's response, insisting that Canada remains "the greatest country in the world" and that the federation is "stronger together." "Thirdly, this is a real referendum. It's not a question about a question, a free option. It's a dangerous bluff," he noted.
As an alternative to separatism, he pointed to ongoing pipeline negotiations involving Alberta, British Columbia, and Indigenous communities as evidence that "cooperative federalism" delivers tangible economic benefits without constitutional rupture. Alberta, a province of roughly 5 million people home to Canada's vast oil sands industry, is scheduled to hold the independence referendum on Oct. 26.
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