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Ontario Premier Doug Ford, with Alberta Premier Danielle Smith at his side, told a Calgary audience Monday that Albertans need to stay in the Confederation fold.
“I’m going to keep this real, real short,” Ford said when asked about the consequences of separation issue in Canada.
“Folks, united we stand, divided we fall. We need to be a united country. We need to stand together.
“I love all Albertans,” he added. “And we’re always going to stick together.”
Ford made the comments as they shared the stage to discuss the economy and energy policy at an industry conference.
Speaking at an energy sector event in Calgary on Monday, Alberta Premier Danielle Smith was applauded after listing off the federal environmental regulatory plans that have been dropped since Prime Minister Mark Carney took office last year. ‘We intend to build new pipelines west, east, south and north,’ Smith said.
On Oct. 19, Albertans will vote in a referendum on whether to stay in Canada or whether it’s time to hold a second, binding referendum on leaving Confederation.
Both Ford and Smith were asked whether separatist debates in Quebec and Alberta are helping or hurting Canada as it tries to build the economy and develop its resources.
Smith, prior to Ford responding, repeated her assertions that anger and estrangement had been building for years due to federal policies she has said undercut Alberta’s ability to develop its oil and gas.
“This anger has been growing for over a decade,” Smith said.
She said under Prime Minster Mark Carney, the federal government has been more open and flexible to help Alberta grow.
Alberta Premier Danielle Smith and Ontario Premier Doug Ford spoke about where they think labour and capital could be sourced for major pipeline projects on the horizon, including the Northern Shield proposal. They were asked about it during a fireside chat put on by oil and gas industry group Enserva in Calgary on Monday.
But she said the residual enmity toward Ottawa, coupled with hundreds of thousands of Albertans signing petitions in recent months for and against unity, mandated she call a referendum.
“I hope it’s resolved on Oct. 19,” Smith said, saying she plans to vote to stay in Canada.
Critics, including the Opposition NDP, have said Smith’s aim is not about unity or Canada but about trying to keep her United Conservative Party intact by placating its separatist wing with a referendum.
Separatist leaders, however, have said that Smith’s question represents not a decision but a vote to hold another vote. They have promised to keep fighting regardless of the outcome.
The issue has become visible on the streets of the province, with red and white lawn signs supporting Canada vastly outnumbering separation blue ones. Recent polls suggested a broad majority of Albertans want to stay in Canada.
Also in Calgary on Monday, the former leader of the United Kingdom during the Brexit referendum told another conference that you can’t compare that debate to Alberta’s prospective split from Canada.
“Brexit was about whether we wanted to stay in a trade association with an element of political union,” David Cameron said.
“This [Alberta vote] is about the future of a country.”
Cameron led the United Kingdom for six years ahead of the 2016 Brexit vote and through Scotland’s vote on independence in September 2014. In both votes, he was vying for the status quo and resigned after the Brexit vote succeeded.
Speaking about Scotland’s referendum vote, he called the idea of a fragmented United Kingdom an “absolute tragedy.”
“I was very nervous about it because if you have a referendum, you can’t guarantee what the results are going to be,” Cameron said.
In the end, Scotland narrowly voted against separation.
Despite criticism that he should have never called the Scottish vote, Cameron stood by his decision, stating the alternative would be escalating resentment. He said he hoped he could ultimately avoid separation by showing the Scots respect and enabling the vote on independence as they had asked.
Cameron said he agreed to most of the stipulations from the governing Scottish National Party. But he insisted that the referendum be one, uncomplicated question, which drew chuckles from the crowd.
Smith’s referendum question is one of 10 that voters will pass judgment on. Her government has been criticized for the complicated and wordy language of its referendum proposals, particularly the separation question.
Cameron also noted that the referendum vote in Scotland did not quell the separatists’ desire for independence.
