Carney wraps up pro-Canada tour with Edmonton rally ahead of Alberta referendum

Prime Minister Mark Carney wrapped up a two-day, pro-Canada tour of Alberta with a rally for thousands of supporters in his hometown of Edmonton on Friday night. The crowd packed the bleachers at the Expo Centre in a party-like atmosphere, wearing Maple Leaf gear, dancing, waving Canadian flags and singing along to a song declaring Canada would never become the 51st U.S. state. “Alberta’s my home,” Carney said. “I grew up here. This city, this province, this country, have given me everything — my family, my education and my values.”

Carney urged Albertans to vote to keep the province in Canada. “There are some outside our borders who are working to break us so they can own us. Never,” he said, warning that a vote against Canada would be “a dangerous bluff” leading to years of deep uncertainty and lost opportunities for Albertans and Canadians. “Our country and your futures are too precious to play games with.” One person shouted at Carney as he spoke about Canadians serving in the military. He replied: “Please, show some respect for our men and women in service.”

Carney spent two days meeting Canadians in Edmonton, Red Deer and Calgary, posing for selfies, shaking hands and urging them to keep the country whole. He delivered a similar speech to thousands at a rally in Calgary a day earlier. On Monday, Albertans will vote on whether to stay in Canada or hold a second, binding referendum on leaving Confederation.

Earlier Friday, Carney and Alberta Premier Danielle Smith visited Red Hart Brewing in Red Deer, halfway between Edmonton and Calgary. They tapped a keg, had a beer, sang “O Canada” and made a last-ditch pitch for the province to remain in Confederation. About 50 people squeezed inside, jockeying for position in Canada-themed shirts, hats, sweaters, jerseys and pins. Mayors, MPs and former Alberta premier Ed Stelmach were among them. Another 100 supporters gathered outside, while a lone protester carrying an Alberta flag walked back and forth across the street.

Smith and Carney praised each other as sharp-eyed, flinty negotiators who fight for their positions while wanting the best for Canada. They said they were making progress, including on a proposed fast-tracked oil pipeline from Alberta to the B.C. coast. “For the first time in a long time, Alberta and Canada are walking together,” Smith said.

The two leaders still disagree on the other questions in Smith’s referendum. The question of leaving Canada is one of 10 on the ballot, and Smith wants Albertans to endorse nine other proposals. They urge her government to take more control over immigration, introduce new rules and pursue constitutional changes that would wrest power from Ottawa. Smith has said she needs that mandate to negotiate a better deal with Ottawa. Carney is urging voters to reject the nine proposals; Smith said she would work to change his mind. As the brewery crowd watched, Smith handed Carney a booklet explaining the questions and said, “I have bad news for you, Prime Minister: all of the premiers are interested in talking about immigration and how we might be able to reform it.”

Federal Conservative Leader Pierre Poilievre also made a last-minute appeal for unity Friday in a speech to the Canada Strong & Free Network in Calgary. He said he understood separatist disillusionment with the state of affairs in Canada, but quitting was not the answer. “Quitting is the easy way out — and Albertans are not quitters. We don’t just take our ball and go home. We don’t walk away. We stand and fight for what we believe in, and we reflect upon all that we have.” He said he understood frustration over rising costs and what he characterized as a lax justice system, an out-of-control immigration program and federal policies that curtail resource development. He urged Albertans to see the bigger picture: “Canada is more than a government. It is a people, a flag, a land, a history and a promise.”

Polls have suggested a strong majority of Albertans will vote to stay in Canada, but leaders say voter apathy could open the door to a winning vote for separation. Albertans have been voting by mail and at advance polls in recent days, with turnout suggesting the final count could set a record. Elections Alberta said more than one million people had voted as of Thursday night.

Smith called the referendum earlier this year. She said discontent over past federal policies had recently reached a boiling point, with hundreds of thousands signing petitions both for and against staying in Confederation. She said a referendum was needed to resolve the issue once and for all. Critics say Smith is not resolving a broad existential debate; instead, they argue, she has inflamed and validated latent fringe separatist sentiment, rolling the dice on the country’s future to appease hardliners in her United Conservative Party.

Global News will provide in-depth coverage of the results on broadcast and online. Anchors Dallas Flexhaug and Carole Anne Devaney will be joined by veteran political reporter and Ottawa bureau chief David Akin for results analysis. A political panel hosted by anchor Blake Lough and reporters on the ground will also contribute. From 8 p.m. to midnight MT, Decision Alberta Referendum 2026 will air on Globalnews.ca, YouTube (https://www.youtube.com/live/oH8wf1p5QhA) and the Global TV app, available on Prime Video, Apple TV, Roku and select smart TVs. The special will begin airing live on all Global News stations in Alberta at 9 p.m.