Canadian Prime Minister Mark Carney appealed for national unity while suggesting the United States may have had a hand in the separation movement in oil-rich Alberta.
Speaking at a rally in Calgary on the 15th, Carney said the referendum set for the 19th comes at the worst possible time and warned that forces outside the country are seeking to divide Canada and take its place, according to The Associated Press and Agence France-Presse.
Alberta, Canada's largest oil-producing province, votes on the 19th on whether to remain in Canada or to pursue a binding referendum on separation. Advance voting ran from the 13th through the 17th.
Resentment runs deep among Alberta residents, who say the federal carbon tax and the push toward green energy are choking the province's core industry and threatening the local economy. Complaints that Ottawa has overreached into areas under provincial jurisdiction — resource development, immigration, justice and welfare — have also fueled support for separation.
Carney did not mention the United States or President Donald Trump by name in the speech. But allegations that people close to Trump have been exerting influence over the Alberta separation movement have drawn steady attention in Canada.
U.S. Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent has described Alberta as a natural partner for the United States. Leaders of the Alberta Prosperity Project, the group driving the separation campaign, have traveled to the United States and met State Department officials on multiple occasions. A Canadian news outlet reported in detail earlier this month on contacts between Mitch Sylvestre, who heads the group, and his associates and Republican Party figures.
Asked about allegations of foreign interference in the vote, Carney said Canada's expectations of foreign governments, including the United States, are clear: just as Canada does not interfere in their elections, they should not interfere in Canada's.
Carney's sensitivity to the allegations reflects how sharply relations between the two countries have deteriorated since Trump took office. Trump has repeatedly said he would make Canada the 51st U.S. state, drawing a backlash in Canada. The friction has spread to trade. After Washington imposed 50% tariffs in August on about $20 billion worth of Canadian goods, Ottawa retaliated with tariffs on U.S. products of the same value. The United States also moved to ban imports of some Canadian goods.
Against that backdrop, Carney worries that Alberta's separation movement could work to Washington's advantage. If Alberta leaves, national cohesion would weaken, leaving Canada more exposed to U.S. influence.
Carney said the vote is not a poker game, calling a ballot against Canada a dangerous bluff that risks years of deep uncertainty and lost opportunity. "Vote as though the fate of Canada depends on it," he said, "because it does."