Canadian Prime Minister Mark Carney compared Alberta's push toward an independence vote to Brexit on Monday, calling it a potential "dangerous bluff." The remarks came after Alberta Premier Danielle Smith announced that a vote would be held October 19 on whether Alberta should stay in Canada or take legal steps under the Constitution to hold a binding referendum on leaving.
Carney drew directly on his own experience. He served as governor of the Bank of England in 2016 when Britain voted to leave the European Union and helped navigate the central bank through the aftermath.
"I saw firsthand what happened in the United Kingdom when the view was, 'Vote for this, it'll be soft and then we'll negotiate, etc.,' " Carney said. "They're still 10 years later trying to undo what people didn't think they were voting for, but what they ended up having."
Carney said the vote complicates his efforts to attract investment to Canada. He also questioned its democratic legitimacy, noting that Smith's party did not run on or mention a referendum in the last provincial election.
"Is it the democratic will of Albertans? Did they vote for this in the last provincial election? No, they didn't. It wasn't on the ballot paper," Carney said.
Some observers have compared Smith's position to that of former British Prime Minister David Cameron ahead of the Brexit referendum. Cameron embraced the vote as a way to manage a vocal faction of his party while not actually wanting the U.K. to leave the European Union.
Carney is currently working to get a new oil pipeline built from Alberta to Canada's Pacific coast. Many Albertans have long complained that Ottawa has not done enough to help get Alberta's vast oil reserves to Asian markets.
"We have to be very careful about this. There's a very strong positive case for Canada, a strong Alberta in a united Canada," Carney said. "I look forward to making that case with many, many other Albertans and Canadians over the course of the next 150 days."
Smith responded Monday by saying that separation is a matter for Albertans alone to decide. She pointed to what she called a decade of damaging federal policy. "Albertans' frustrations have been fueled by the last 10 years of disastrous policies from Ottawa under … Justin Trudeau," she said in a statement from her office.
Smith also said, "I would also remind all Canadians that we should not dismiss the legitimate grievances of Albertans. Instead, we should focus on addressing these issues, restoring hope in Canada, and demonstrating that our country can work and is working."
Smith has said publicly that she supports Alberta remaining in Canada.
