Carney, Poilievre to visit Alberta before Oct. 19 vote

Prime Minister Mark Carney is expected to be in Alberta this week, and Conservative Leader Pierre Poilievre will speak in Calgary on Friday, as federal leaders make their final push before Albertans vote in the Oct. 19 referendum, according to CBC News and CP24.

CBC reported Sunday that Carney is expected in the province “in the coming week.” It did not give an itinerary. Poilievre told reporters in Burlington, Ont., on Friday he will do “additional campaigning on the ground” in Alberta, CP24 reported. He is scheduled to address the Canada Strong and Free Network conference in Calgary on Oct. 16, with Premier Danielle Smith expected to speak after him.

The visits come as the House of Commons breaks for the Thanksgiving week, freeing both leaders to travel.

Albertans will answer 10 questions on the ballot, including whether the province should start the legal process toward a later, binding vote on separation. A yes vote would not by itself take Alberta out of Canada. It would be the first step toward deciding whether a binding referendum is held, CBC reported.

Two recent polls suggest the yes side is a minority. An Ipsos survey conducted Sept. 18 to 22 found 20 per cent of Albertans would vote to start the process and 70 per cent would vote to remain, with 10 per cent undecided, as Canada News Media reported earlier this month. Pollsters have also cautioned that turnout and a question that many respondents found confusing could shape the result.

The federal government says it is watching for outside meddling. Intergovernmental Affairs Minister Dominic LeBlanc said the level of interference is not more intense than expected. “It’s not new,” he said, adding he is “very, very confident” that Canadians will make the decision. Canada’s foreign influence commissioner has contacted more than 60 groups and individuals involved in the referendum debate to warn them about possible registration requirements, the Western Standard reported Oct. 6.

The Globe and Mail reported on Oct. 3 that some independence campaigners met U.S. officials as recently as April and discussed oil and fresh water. Mitch Sylvestre of the Alberta Prosperity Project has denied offering water rights or oil royalties, and said he attended one of three meetings. Dane Lloyd, the Alberta Conservative MP who leads his party’s unity campaign in the province, said no one has the right to “promise away Alberta’s birthright.” He stopped short of calling the meetings foreign interference, saying more information is needed.

Elon Musk added to the noise last week when he urged Alberta, Saskatchewan and Quebec to separate. Carney, Smith and Saskatchewan Premier Scott Moe rejected the comments, and Poilievre dismissed them as “silly tweets.” Rachel Notley, the former NDP premier, said Albertans should ask why “certain folks south of the border think they have something to gain” from separation.

Some Albertans are sceptical of the federal attention. Angela Tabak, co-founder of the Alberta Women’s Independence Network, said recent federal announcements “could have been made months ago, but they weren’t.” She was referring in part to Ottawa’s designation of the Pacific Link pipeline as a project of national interest.

Smith has called that designation proof that “co-operative federalism can work in action.”

For readers aged 18 to 40, the timing matters. Ipsos found the highest support for separation among Gen Z (28 per cent), although the sample for any single age group is small. Advance voting rules are in Canada News Media’s guide to how and where to vote.

Carney’s dates and venues had not been announced as of Sunday, and this story is developing.

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Via CBC News (Yahoo copy) and CP24 (Poilievre to campaign for Canadian unity in Alberta), with additional reporting from the Western Standard.