Prime Minister Mark Carney is coming to next week’s Calgary Stampede and plans to reiterate that leaving Canada won’t be the magic wand separatists think it is.
Carney, taking questions from reporters in Ottawa, says the fallout from the United Kingdom’s vote to leave the European Union a decade ago should serve as a clear cautionary tale.
He says people have been tricked into believing that separation is easy and that residents should keep their passports and currency.
“Canada is worth fighting for — I mean, this is the greatest country in the world,” Carney said. “We’re not perfect. We can get better, but Canada is worth fighting for and standing up for Canada and supporting Canada is important.”
Prime Minister Mark Carney made his comments while speaking to reporters in Ottawa on Thursday.
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Carney says Alberta’s vote could create years of uncertainty at a time when Canada is struggling to be seen as a stable and reliable international trading partner.
“It’s a real referendum. It’s not, you know, a question about a question. It’s a dangerous bluff,” Carney added.
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“We are literally on the 10th anniversary of Brexit and I saw firsthand what happens, what is sold in these referendums. That everything will be easy. That you can keep your passport, you can keep your currency. You can stay in the country and leave it at the same time. You get all the benefits but none of the things. You see what happened in the UK. years of uncertainty.”
Albertans are set to vote Oct. 19 on whether to stay in Canada or trigger a binding referendum on secession.
Premier Danielle Smith says she wants the province to stay in Canada, but says she feels compelled to call the referendum after hundreds of thousands of Albertans have weighed in on the issue by signing citizens’ initiative petitions.
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