Carney Calls for Unity as Alberta Prepares for Independence Vote

Prime Minister Mark Carney releases a message of thanks one week ahead of Alberta's independence referendum.

Prime Minister Mark Carney has used his Thanksgiving message to Canadians to call for national unity, a week before the oil-rich province of Alberta votes on a proposal to secede from Canada.

"We can't build big things on fault lines," Carney said in a video message on Monday.

List of 3 items List 1 of 3 US bans on $1 billion in Canadian goods apply in Trump's latest retaliation.

List 2 of 3 Canadian fast-track oil pipelines to diversify the economy from the United States

List 3 out of 3 separatist parties won the Quebec election in Canada

End of list "We must be strong and we are stronger together."

His comments come as Albertans head to the polls on Oct. 19 to decide whether to begin the independence process. The initial referendum is non-binding, but suggests a future binding vote to decide whether Alberta should secede.

The question before voters is: "Should Alberta remain a province of Canada, or should the Alberta government begin the legal process required by the Canadian Constitution to hold a binding provincial referendum on whether Alberta should secede from Canada?"

The vote follows growing pressure from a separatist group fueled by long-standing grievances over federal environmental and energy policies.

The separatist movement has accused the Canadian government of unfairly targeting Alberta's oil and gas industry, the cornerstone of the province's economy.

The movement is also under scrutiny south of the border, as Canada's relationship with the United States has soured under Donald Trump.

An investigation by The Globe and Mail earlier this month found that US Republican operatives met with secession organizers in Alberta to discuss campaign strategies. The separatist leaders had offered access to the province's oil and water concessions in exchange for American support for independence. The separatist leaders have denied these claims.

Carney's comments also came after another separatist movement, the Parti Québécois, won the most seats in a provincial election in Quebec last week, allowing it to return to power after more than a decade.

The Parti Québécois, however, won only 59 of the 129 seats in the National Assembly of Quebec, leaving the government without a majority.

However, after that victory, US tech entrepreneur Elon Musk, who is considered the richest man on the planet, praised the results. He is known to use his wealth and influence to support political causes, particularly on the far right.

"Good. Quebec must secede," Musk wrote on social media. They will be better. Alberta and Saskatchewan should also secede."

Carney, who grew up in Alberta, said he was filming the message from a classroom at his former school, St. Francis Xavier High School in Edmonton.

"I'm back home a lot these days because we're building big things in Alberta again: thousands of new homes, high-speed rail, a new pipeline to the West Coast that will create opportunity and sustainable prosperity for hundreds of thousands of people in this province and across the country."

Despite the growing visibility of the separatist movement, polls show that most Albertans oppose independence.