Canadian Prime Minister Mark Carney warned the people of oil-rich Alberta against looming threats, suggesting that the United States was trying to break Canada so it could "own us."
Carney was speaking at a pro-Canada rally in Calgary, ahead of a vote which will decide if the disgruntled western province will begin a legal process toward separation from Canada.
"The world has become more dangerous and divided. Some outside our borders are working to break us so they can own us," he said, without naming the US or its president, Donald Trump.
This is not the first time Carney has made such a claim. His warning comes as Washington and Ottawa are in the middle of a trade war and Trump has threatened to make Canada the 51st US state.
Meanwhile, Carney's push toward making Canada less dependent on the US has irked Trump.
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What is Alberta voting for?
Monday's vote in Alberta is not a direct referendum on independence. Rather, the province, which has the world's fourth-largest proven oil reserves, will vote to decide whether to remain a province or instruct the government to begin the legal process toward a referendum on separation.
Polling indicates less than a quarter of Alberta's roughly five million people want to break away from Canada.
Albertans have long held grievances with liberal governments in Ottawa, from concerns about immigration and federal power to oil industry management. While Carney, who grew up in Alberta, has attempted to address frustrations, a lot stands to be resolved.
"The frustrations that many Albertans have felt are real," Carney said, adding that Ottawa had made Albertans feel "like our resources weren't our own."
However, he urged the public there to not use the vote as a "message" to the federal government.
"Don't be fooled by the idea you can 'send a message' with your vote," Carney said. "This is not poker. A vote against Canada is a dangerous bluff that will lead to years of deep division and great uncertainty."
Mitch Sylvestre, who heads the Alberta Prosperity Project, a prominent separatist organization, told AFP that US interests "don't play a role" in Alberta "until we win and become a government." At that point, he would ensure free-flowing trade.
"There is no animosity toward America here," he said, adding that he didn't see a reason to stop trading with the world's largest economy.
US Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent has called Alberta a "natural partner" for the United States, and Alberta Prosperity Project leaders have held several meetings at the State Department.
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Edited by: Natalie Muller
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