Prime Minister Carney campaigns in Calgary ahead of Monday referendum on separation

Prime Minister Mark Carney made a campaign stop in Calgary on Thursday, meeting with voters and volunteers to make the case for keeping Alberta in Canada ahead of Monday's referendum on separation and constitutional reform.

Carney visited Bridgeland Riverside Community Association Park, where he addressed a crowd of supporters and met with Public Interest Alberta, a non-partisan organization campaigning against separation. He also stopped by Cinnamon Indian Cuisine and Bar, where he ate pakoras and spoke with locals during store visits. "Make sure everyone's out there marking their ballots by Monday, including no to the nine," he told the crowd at the park.

Carney framed the referendum as a moment to choose unity over division. "There couldn't be a worse time for this referendum. It's a dangerous and divided world, and it's time for us to come together and stand up for ourselves and to take care of each other. This is an opportunity to do both," he told Public Interest Alberta volunteers. He drew on Alberta's history of cross-provincial cooperation—citing firefighters from across Canada who assist during wildfire season, while Albertan firefighters do the same elsewhere. "We are stronger together, and Canada is worth fighting for. And fighting for is about showing up, showing up to vote. Polls don't vote, people vote."

Carney pointed to economic gains as evidence of Alberta's strength within Confederation. Since the start of 2026, exports of grain, canola, and beef have risen by 80 per cent, he claimed, attributing the increase to more countries making trade deals with Canada. "We're making ourselves more independent, we're making ourselves stronger as a country, stronger as Albertans. Why? So we can live our lives as we want," he told locals during his store visits.

Brad Lafortune, Public Interest Alberta Executive Director, also addressed supporters: "Everyone comes from somewhere. Let's build this country and this province together."

The nine referendum questions focus on immigration and constitutional reform. Carney is scheduled to hold a Forever Canadian rally at the BMO Centre Thursday evening before traveling to Edmonton Friday. Premier Danielle Smith has countered the federal campaign, responding on X that Carney "has yet to fully understand just how damaging the open-border policies of his predecessor were," pointing to her own "yes to the rest" campaign position on the referendum.