New Delhi: The Canadian prime minister, Mark Carney, has accused that forces outside the country are trying to weaken Canada and gain control over it, as tensions with the United States president, Donald Trump, escalate over trade and economic dependence. Speaking at a pro-Canada rally in Calgary on Thursday, Carney urged Albertans to reject a move towards separation, warning that the country faced growing uncertainty.
He did not directly name the United States in that passage, but his remarks came amid Trump’s repeated threats against Canada and his push to bring Canadian businesses under US manufacturing operations.
Carney also warned voters against treating Alberta’s upcoming referendum as a way to send a political message to the federal government. The vote will determine whether the provincial government should begin the legal process towards a future referendum on separation, rather than directly decide independence. He described the referendum as coming at the worst possible time, given a more dangerous and divided world.
“The frustrations that many Albertans have felt are real,” Carney acknowledged, referring to longstanding disputes over federal policies and the province’s oil and gas industry. He said Ottawa had made Albertans feel that their natural resources did not belong to them and that their energy contributions were being treated as “against the tides of history”.
Carney also highlighted the ties between Alberta and the rest of Canada, pointing to people who move to the province from other parts of the country and firefighters who travel to help during wildfires. He argued that Alberta would be stronger within Canada, rather than facing prolonged uncertainty over separation.
Carney’s warning followed Trump’s latest criticism of Canada. The US president said he did not want Canadian cars, automotive parts or “Canada anything” in the American market, while claiming his tariff policies had revived the US automobile industry.
Trump described Canada as “one of the worst abusers” of the United States and accused it of exploiting the country for decades. He also urged Canadian companies to move their operations to the US, arguing that domestic production would allow them to avoid tariffs.
The latest exchange follows a breakdown in trade negotiations between Washington and Ottawa after Carney objected to the proposed US terms. RNA Media had earlier reported on Trump’s threat to impose 50 per cent tariffs on Canadian cars, trucks and steel.
Carney has pushed to reduce Canada’s economic dependence on its southern neighbour, including through the proposed Pacific Link oil pipeline. According to reports the project will create more than 140,000 jobs, generate revenue for social programmes and reduce reliance on the US market.
However, leaders of the separatist group Let Alberta Decide argue that Carney’s commitments and agreements with Alberta premier, Danielle Smith, do not resolve the province’s longstanding grievances. They want federal measures they believe have harmed Alberta’s energy industry to be repealed, including provisions they claim could allow Ottawa to tax oil exports in retaliation against the US.
Smith, who called the referendum but supports Alberta remaining in Canada, has acknowledged that support for separation remains too high for her liking. The movement has gained ground in recent years, including among activists who organized against Covid-19 restrictions and took part in the 2022 freedom convoy protests.
Advance voting continues through Saturday, with the final vote scheduled for Monday. The result will determine whether Alberta’s government is instructed to begin the legal process towards a future separation referendum, leaving the question of independence undecided.