Prime Minister Mark Carney speaks to reporters at the European Political Community Summit in Armenia on Monday.Sean Kilpatrick/The Canadian Press
Any attempt by Alberta to separate from the rest of Canada must follow the strict rules set out by the Clarity Act, Prime Minister Mark Carney said Tuesday, while making the case that he can stop the secessionist push by demonstrating that the federation works.
On Monday, the leaders of Alberta’s separatist movement said they had gathered enough signatures to force a vote on whether the province should split with Canada in a referendum scheduled for Oct. 19. The campaign could still be derailed by a legal challenge and an Elections Alberta investigation, but its leaders insist it has the credibility to move ahead to a general vote.
In the Prime Minister’s first public comments on the separatists possibly reaching the threshold for a referendum, Mr. Carney insisted Ottawa would have a say in the crafting of the question that Albertans would vote on.
“There’s the rule of law. There’s the Clarity Act,” the Prime Minister said at an Ottawa news conference. “Any referenda in any part of Canada need to be consistent with that.”
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The law was created in the aftermath of the 1995 Quebec referendum, which separatists narrowly lost, but it applies across the country. It reiterates a Supreme Court decision that a simple majority is not enough to allow a province to separate from Canada. The act enshrines the role of the House of Commons in determining what constitutes a clear question on separation and what would be a strong enough majority to trigger secession.
Mr. Carney told reporters he plans to ensure the “no” side wins by working in the “spirit of co-operative federalism, making the country work, making it work for Alberta, making it work for Indigenous peoples, making it work for all Canadians.”
Proponents of a separation referendum carry boxes of signatures to submit to Elections Alberta in Edmonton on Monday.JASON FRANSON/The Canadian Press
Premier Danielle Smith previously suggested on the Paul Wells Show that if it were to proceed, the referendum would follow the framework outlined in the Clarity Act. Her office did not confirm that on Tuesday, and said the province is waiting to see whether the petition and signatures are verified before determining next steps.
“Our government has been clear: we support a strong and sovereign Alberta within a united Canada,” press secretary Sam Blackett said in an e-mail.
Ms. Smith is expected to meet with the Prime Minister later this week in Ottawa.
Since his election last year, the Prime Minister has reversed some of the policies from the Justin Trudeau era that had angered some Albertans and led to accusations that Ottawa was working against the province’s interests.
Mr. Carney repealed the consumer carbon price, cancelled the oil sands emissions cap and opened the door to a new oil pipeline. Last November, his government struck a new energy accord with Alberta that aimed to unlock the prairie energy sector and spur energy exports.
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The fine print of how it would all work was meant to be finalized by April 1, but negotiations are now in overtime. The outstanding details centre on the politically divisive issue of an industrial carbon price and a carbon capture project.
The federal Conservatives declined to provide a response to the Prime Minister’s expectation that any referendum follow the Clarity Act and did not say what Leader Pierre Poilievre’s position is on the issue.
Instead, a party spokesperson directed The Globe and Mail to comments Mr. Poilievre made in April, when he said he would be a champion for the “no” side in any separation referendum.
Similarly, the federal NDP did not provide a position on the Clarity Act and whether a potential Alberta referendum should follow those rules. Instead, Leader Avi Lewis accused Ms. Smith of using the referendum as a distraction and urged her to “stop fanning the flames of this divisive movement.”
With reports from Emma Graney, Matthew Scace and Carrie Tait