Canada's Carney says Alberta is essential' as province mulls separation

Alberta’s Premier Danielle Smith announced a referendum on whether to hold a separation vote from Canada. The move followed a court decision blocking a separation petition due to insufficient consultation with Indigenous groups affected by the referendum. Smith said she opposes separation but rejected the court ruling, claiming it interferes with democratic rights. A group called Stay Free Alberta collected more than 300,000 signatures to trigger a separation vote, while Forever Canada supports remaining in Canada. Hours after the announcement, Prime Minister Mark Carney said Alberta is central to his economic plans and pointed to federal-provincial cooperation. He cited agreements in Calgary, including efforts to fast-track an oil pipeline to the West Coast.

"Alberta Premier Danielle Smith announced that the province would hold a referendum on whether to hold a separation vote. The decision came after a court blocked a petition to hold a vote on separation, citing lack of consultation with Indigenous groups that would be affected by the referendum. Smith emphasised that she opposes separation, but she rejected the judicial ruling. Despite my personal support for remaining in Canada, I am deeply troubled by an erroneous court decision that interferes with the democratic rights of hundreds of thousands of Albertans, she said in a video message."

"Speaking to reporters on Friday, Carney highlighted cooperation between the federal government and various provinces and territories, repeatedly stressing the importance of Alberta. Canada is the greatest country in the world, but it can be better. And we're working on making it better; we're working with Alberta on making it better, he said. The Canadian prime minister highlighted his recent visit to the province's largest city, Calgary, where he announced several agreements, including an effort to fast-track an oil pipeline from Alberta to the West Coast."

"We're renovating the country as we go, and Alberta being at the centre of that is essential, Carney said on Friday. Late on Thursday, Alberta Premier Danielle Smith announced that the province would hold a referendum on whether to hold a separation vote. A group that calls itself Stay Free Alberta says it gathered more than 300,000 signatures to trigger a separation vote. A competing group called Forever Canada also says its petition to remain part of t"

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