Prime Minister Mark Carney said Thursday that Canada’s future will be decided by Canadians, after billionaire Elon Musk posted that Quebec, Alberta and Saskatchewan should separate from the country.
Speaking at a news conference in Sherbrooke, Que., Carney said Canadians should be free from “interference from foreign governments and large tech firms that think they can tell us what to do,” according to CTV News and Narcity.
“The future of Canada will be decided by Canadians and the priorities of Canadians, the priorities of the people of Quebec,” Carney said, according to Narcity. He listed those priorities as affordability, social justice and a strong Quebec within a more independent and prosperous Canada.
Musk, who owns SpaceX, Tesla and the social media platform X, made the comments Wednesday. CP24 reported he was responding to a statement by Quebec premier-elect Paul St-Pierre Plamondon that his dream of Quebec independence “will be realized one day.”
“Good. Quebec should separate,” Musk wrote on X. “They would be better off. Alberta and Saskatchewan should separate too.”
Saskatchewan Premier Scott Moe replied to the post Wednesday afternoon with a single word: “No,” CP24 reported. Moe has previously said he opposes Saskatchewan separating from Canada, but has defended Alberta Premier Danielle Smith’s right to include a separation question in that province’s upcoming referendums. In May, he said Saskatchewan has plebiscite and citizen-initiated referendum legislation similar to Alberta’s, and that if the requirements were met, his government “would follow the law in that space.”
Smith, speaking in Edmonton, said separatist sentiment has weakened because she and Carney have addressed issues that frustrate Albertans. “The federal government has changed,” she said, according to Narcity.
The Parti Quebecois won a minority government in the Oct. 6 Quebec election. St-Pierre Plamondon pledged during the campaign not to hold a referendum on separation while Donald Trump is president of the United States, Narcity reported.
Carney also told reporters in French that he and St-Pierre Plamondon had a “cordial” first conversation, and he spoke up for the Alto high-speed rail project. The PQ opposes Alto, which raises questions about whether the project can proceed, Narcity reported.
The Musk posts also drew attention in Quebec media. Google Trends data for Canada on Saturday showed searches tied to Musk, Quebec and Quebec Conservative Leader Eric Duhaime among the leading terms in the country, with Le Journal de Montreal and La Presse among the outlets covering the story.
Conservative Leader Pierre Poilievre is expected to urge a united Canada in a speech in Alberta, according to a headline on CBC News. The full details of his remarks were not available to Canada News Media at the time of publication.
This is a developing story. Canada News Media will update it as reaction and any further comments from Musk become available.
Reporting based on CTV News, CP24 and Narcity.
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