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Carney Urges 'No to the Nine' as Alberta Referendum Nears; Smith Fires Back 'Yes to the Rest'
Ahead of Alberta's Oct. 19 referendum, Carney urged Calgary voters to reject nine immigration and constitutional questions; Premier Smith countered on X with 'yes to the rest,' blaming open-border policies for soaring living costs.
Why it matters
With Alberta's October 19 referendum days away, Prime Minister Mark Carney told a Calgary crowd Thursday to vote 'No to the Nine' — rejecting nine of the ten questions on Monday's ballot, leaving only the tenth: whether Alberta should remain in Canada or begin the legal process toward separation.
The nine questions cover immigration rules and constitutional changes. Carney said Ottawa 'doesn't need a referendum to tell us to co-operate more with the provinces' on immigration, noting the federal government has increased economic migrant numbers and selection co-operation, with progress coming 'irrespective of the result.' At the evening Forever Canadian rally he warned a vote to leave would be a 'dangerous bluff.'
Full report
Premier Danielle Smith fired back on X: she and Carney found common ground on many things over 18 months, but he 'has yet to fully understand just how damaging the open-border policies of his predecessor were' — soaring living costs, overwhelmed services, homes and jobs unattainable for young Canadians. She urged Albertans to vote 'yes to the rest,' backing the mandate she wants on the nine; she reiterated she herself voted to remain in Canada.
Monday's vote does not decide independence directly, but whether Alberta should stay put or instruct the government to start the legal path toward a future separation referendum. Advance polling runs through Saturday; an early-October Leger poll found about 70% of Albertans want to stay, though Carney urged supporters not to be complacent.
Carney headed to Edmonton on Friday to keep campaigning. The referendum lands amid the U.S.-Canada trade war and Trump's '51st state' rhetoric — Carney warned Thursday that 'some outside our borders are working to break us so they can own us,' tying national unity to the standoff with Washington.
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