PM Carney points to Brexit, warns Alberta separation push could be ‘dangerous bluff’

Playing null of undefined

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OTTAWA -- Prime Minister Mark Carney says the Alberta referendum is a “dangerous bluff” if anyone thinks its results could be used as leverage in future negotiations.

Carney says he saw those effects first-hand when he was the governor of the Bank of England after the Brexit vote, and warns that people are still trying to undo the damage caused by that decision a decade later.

• ‘Yes, I do’: Alberta Premier Smith promises not to hold later separation referendum if remain side wins October vote
• What will the Alberta separation question look like in the fall referendum?

Alberta Premier Danielle Smith said last week she will pose a question in a referendum in October asking whether Albertans think the province should remain part of Canada or should begin the legal process for a separation referendum.

Carney says the government is reviewing that question to ensure it complies with the Clarity Act, the federal secession law which passed after the 1995 Quebec referendum.

The prime minister says he plans to campaign for national unity and to show that co-operative federalism can work, pointing to his government’s recent deal to work with Alberta toward a new pipeline project.

When asked if he tried to dissuade Smith from posing a separation question, Carney said, “The premier doesn’t always take my advice.”

By David Baxter

This report by The Canadian Press was first published on May 25, 2026.