EDMONTON — Prime Minister Mark Carney said Premier Danielle Smith's referendum question to hold a referendum on Alberta independence is a "very dangerous bluff," citing his firsthand experience during Brexit. "It is often advanced that, 'Vote for this, and it's a free option. Vote for this, and we will strengthen our hand in future negotiations,'" said Carney when speaking to reporters on Monday. "That is a very dangerous bluff. That is a very dangerous bluff."Carney's comments come in light of Smith's announcement on Thursday, in which she told Albertans that the Oct. 19 referendum will ask whether they want Alberta to remain in Canada or whether her government should begin taking steps towards holding an independence referendum. .Smith said they will vote on this question because over 700,000 electors signed a petition calling for a referendum on Alberta's future in Canada, and it is time to get certainty about what Albertans would like their future to look like. “As I said, the Premier doesn't always take my advice," Carney said when asked if he had attempted to previously convince her not to propose the question. "Look, is it helpful to ask these fundamental questions? No, it's not helpful. Of course, it's not.""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, wasn't in the mandates or platforms of the governing party and the official opposition. It is what it is."Smith issued a statement following Carney's remarks.“I agree with Prime Minister Mark Carney that Alberta should remain a province of Canada, and I will be campaigning for Alberta to remain as well," Smith said."Let’s remember that 700,000 Albertans signed one of two petitions asking for a referendum on this issue. This is a decision for Albertans — not Ottawa — and Albertans' frustrations have been fueled by the last 10 years of disastrous policies from Ottawa under his predecessor, Justin Trudeau.""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.""I look forward to continuing to work with Prime Minister Mark Carney toward a stronger and more sovereign Alberta within a united Canada.”.Carney speaks from experience, having served as the Governor of the Bank of England in 2016 as the United Kingdom went through the Brexit referendum and its ensuing withdrawal from the European Union after the campaign to leave the organization unexpectedly won the vote. "I saw firsthand what happened in the United Kingdom when the view was, vote for this, it will be soft, and then we'll negotiate, etc., and 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. Smith said her government will respect the results of the referendum, regardless of what side wins. The Prime Minister said that he has been and will continue to campaign for Alberta to remain in Canada. "There's a very strong positive case for Canada, a strong Alberta in a United Canada," Carney said. "We're making it stronger, working together, and I look forward to making that case with many, many, other Albertans and Canadians over the course of the next 150 days.".Many individuals have raised questions about the clarity of Alberta's referendum question, with some calling it unnecessarily confusing. The referendum question will ask Albertans, "Should Alberta remain a province of Canada or should the Government of Alberta commence the legal process required under the Canadian Constitution to hold a binding provincial referendum on whether or not Alberta should separate from Canada?" Carney told reporters that his government is required under the Clarity Act to review the question and ensure it conforms with the act, and is currently in the process of doing so. "We will discharge our responsibilities, look at consistency of the question about a question, if I can put it that way, on separation, consistency of that with the Clarity Act," Carney said. "So it is what it is. It's there; we have to discharge our responsibilities."Smith has clarified that the question is a policy one, and it will be posed as option A: stay in Alberta, and option B: pursue a referendum on independence.
