Canadian Prime Minister Mark Carney marked Thanksgiving with a message to the country's people, calling for national unity just one week before Alberta — home to the oil and gas industry — votes on a proposal to leave Canada.
"We cannot build great things on fault lines," Carney said in a video message on Monday, warning that Canada faces threats to its economy, security and way of life.
"We must be strong, and we are stronger when we are united."
The remarks came as Albertans prepare to cast ballots on Oct. 19 to decide whether to begin a process aimed at seeking independence. The initial referendum is non-binding, but the proposal is expected to lead to a future binding vote on whether Alberta should secede.
The question put to voters is: "Should Alberta remain a province of Canada, or should the Government of Alberta begin the legal process under the Canadian Constitution to hold a provincial binding referendum on whether Alberta should separate from Canada?"
The vote follows a push by a vocal separatist group, driven by long-standing grievances over the federal government's energy and environmental policies. The separatist movement accuses Ottawa of unfairly targeting Alberta's oil and gas sector — a pillar of the province's economy.
The movement is also drawing attention from south of the border, amid strained relations between Canada and the United States under President Donald Trump.
A Globe and Mail investigation earlier this month found that operatives from the U.S. Republican Party met with separatist organizers in Alberta to discuss campaign strategy. According to sources, separatist leaders offered Washington access to the province's water and oil royalties in exchange for support for independence. The separatist leader has denied the allegations.
Carney's remarks also came after another separatist movement — the Parti Quebecois — won the most seats in Quebec's provincial election last week, returning to power after more than a decade. However, the Parti Quebecois won only 59 of the 129 seats in Quebec's legislature, short of the number needed to form a majority government.
After that victory, American tech entrepreneur Elon Musk — widely considered the richest person on the planet — welcomed the result. Musk is known for using his wealth and influence to back political causes, particularly those of the far right.
"Good. Quebec should separate," Musk wrote on social media. "They will be better off. Alberta and Saskatchewan should separate too."
Carney, who grew up in Alberta, said he recorded the message from a classroom at his old school, St Francis Xavier High School in Edmonton.
"I've been home a lot lately because we're building great things in Alberta again: thousands of new homes, high-speed rail, a new pipeline to the West Coast that will create long-term opportunity and prosperity for hundreds of thousands of people in this province and across the country," he said.
Despite the growing visibility of the separatist movement, polling shows most Albertans oppose independence.
