EDMONTON, Alberta — Canadian Prime Minister Mark Carney wrapped up two days of campaigning in his home province Friday night, telling a rally in the city where he was raised that a vote to leave Canada would be a reckless bet with Albertans futures.
Voters head to the polls Monday. The ballot does not ask outright whether Alberta should become independent. Instead, the key question asks whether the province stays put or directs its government to start the legal steps toward a later, binding vote on separation.
Carney warned against assuming the result is settled and said turnout would decide it. He called the timing the worst possible, with President Donald Trump pressing a trade war on Canada and repeatedly floating the idea of making it the 51st state, and said outside forces wanted to split the country in order to control it.
In a Calgary speech a night earlier, he said a decisive margin was needed to put the question to rest, and cautioned against casting a ballot merely to send a message to Ottawa. Polling has generally pointed to roughly 70 percent of voters in the province opposing a split.
Earlier Friday, Carney appeared in Red Deer with Premier Danielle Smith, a conservative who called the referendum while opposing independence herself. Smith credited Carney with substantially resolving seven of nine federal laws her province objected to and pointed to cooperation on a proposed oil pipeline. She has cited polling that puts support for leaving at 22 percent.
Pierre Poilievre, who leads the Conservatives in Parliament, made his own plea for the province to remain. Carney and Smith still split on nine other ballot questions covering immigration and provincial powers, which Smith supports and Carney wants voters to turn down.
Alberta holds most of the proven oil reserves in Canada, which rank fourth largest in the world.
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