N環球 
Carney and Smith share Red Deer stage in rare joint rally: vote to stay in Canada
With Monday's referendum two days away, Prime Minister Mark Carney and Alberta Premier Danielle Smith stood side-by-side Friday at Red Hart Brewing in Red Deer County, urging Albertans to vote Option 1 on Question 10 to remain in Canada — while still divided over her nine immigration and constitutional proposals.
Why it matters
Alberta votes Monday (Oct. 19) in a referendum that will decide whether the province stays in Canada or instructs the government to begin the legal process toward a future vote on separation. On the final campaign day, Friday (Oct. 17), Prime Minister Mark Carney and Premier Danielle Smith stood together at a national unity rally at Red Hart Brewing in Red Deer County — two long-time political rivals making a rare joint appearance for the "stay in Canada" side, with former premier Ed Stelmach also present.
"As you know, we don't always agree on everything. We often disagree quite publicly on several things," Smith told the crowd of pro-Canada supporters decked in red and white. "But today we can all agree that on Question 10, that we are voting for Option 1 to remain in Canada." She added: "I feel for the first time in a long time, Alberta and Canada are walking together."
What else they said
Carney cited canola and beef export figures and the Pacific Link Pipeline — designated a project of national interest on Oct. 1 — saying it "will yield more than 140,000 jobs and a more independent, prosperous country," and acknowledged past Ottawa-Alberta grievances: "We as Albertans were made to feel that sometimes our resources weren't our own... Now, we're turning that around."
Smith handed Carney Alberta government literature advertising her nine proposals on stage, insisting "all of the premiers are interested in talking about immigration reform" — while Carney had just spent a day urging Albertans to vote "no to the nine," her nine immigration and constitutional questions also on Monday's ballot. The two remain unreconciled on that front.
Referendum backdrop
Monday's vote is not a direct referendum on independence; it decides whether Alberta remains a province or instructs the government to begin the legal process toward separation. Advance voting is nearly over: elections data shows about one million Albertans — roughly a third of eligible voters — had already cast ballots by Thursday night.
An Angus Reid poll in February found 65% of Albertans would vote to stay in Canada and 29% to leave. Carney warned in his final appeal that, with a Trump trade war and 51st-state threats, the referendum is "a dangerous gamble" at the worst possible time: "This is not a game. This is not poker. A vote against Canada is a dangerous bluff that will lead to years of deep uncertainty and lost opportunities."
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