Prime Minister Carney's Edmonton Canada Day speech cancelled as thunderstorms ground his plane in Ottawa
Carney delivered a unity message in the nation's capital before severe weather prevented him from reaching Alberta for his evening address.
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Prime Minister Mark Carney urged Canadians to stand united Wednesday in Ottawa, but severe thunderstorms that cancelled the nation's capital celebrations prevented him from delivering a similar message in Edmonton later that evening.
In Ottawa, Carney spoke to thousands gathered near Parliament Hill just before a prolonged storm forced the cancellation of official events, including the evening fireworks. "The founding idea of Canada is simple: unity does not require uniformity," he said, addressing Canadians grappling with emerging separatist movements in Alberta and Quebec.
Carney said Canadians have "stood strong and unflinching in the face of global challenges, working together, resolutely, to build our future. Because in a crisis, fortune favours the bold."
His spokesperson said weather conditions in Ottawa prevented his plane from taking off on time, and he would not make it to Edmonton to deliver his evening speech. More than a dozen flights out of the Ottawa airport were cancelled due to the weather.
Thunderstorms rolled through Ottawa most of Wednesday afternoon, bringing strong winds, extremely heavy rain, lightning and threats of hail. The prime minister began the day serving pancakes in his own riding in the Ottawa suburbs. Carney's speech also paid homage to Jeremy Hansen, the only Canadian to make the historic trip around the dark side of the moon aboard NASA's Artemis II mission earlier this year.
