EDMONTON — Prime Minister Mark Carney leaned into his Edmonton roots on Friday in his final plea to Albertans before Alberta's independence referendum, promoting cooperation as a way to address Albertans' grievances."Your futures are too precious to play games with," Carney said while speaking at a Forever Canadian rally. "But there's something more fundamental, more fundamental, because this referendum is about something larger than any of us.""It is about the province and the country we love, and it's about what we can build together. I know. Alberta is my home. I grew up here, and this city, this city, this province, this country have given me everything: my family, my education, and my values.".Carney, who was primarily raised in Edmonton, played to his roots and referenced childhood memories throughout his speech, emphasizing that he understands the frustrations Albertans have with Ottawa."I won't sugarcoat it," Carney said. "The frustrations, the frustrations that many Albertans have felt are real."He spoke about living in Alberta when the federal government introduced the National Energy Program and compared that experience with the treatment of Alberta's energy industry in recent years."What should have brought us together began to divide us, contributing to half a century of politics that have too often pulled us apart," Carney said."So yeah, Canada isn't perfect. Canada isn't perfect, but we are the best. We are the best, and we are getting better. We are getting better, working together in this area of cooperation.".Premier Danielle Smith and Carney have both worked in recent months to reverse some of the past policies and decisions that have driven some Albertans to consider leaving Canada.Their efforts include advancing the Pacific Link pipeline, reversing many of former prime minister Justin Trudeau's "nine bad laws," and pursuing federal housing and defence spending in Alberta.Smith has also proposed other measures she believes will help address Alberta's grievances. Albertans will vote on those measures in the referendum, which include proposals ranging from giving Alberta greater control over immigration and judicial appointments to abolishing the unelected Senate.Carney's government has worked to lower immigration levels and has expressed a willingness to work with Alberta and other provinces on the issue. However, questions remain about his openness to the constitutional changes necessary to address Smith's non-immigration proposals..The prime minister was asked about these questions during an interview on Friday's episode of Real Talk Ryan Jespersen. Carney said he was open to constitutional changes, but only if they were pursued in the right way."The Constitution is not unamendable, to be clear, but it requires building a real consensus around what's necessary to change and why it change, and which elements you are going to change," Carney said. "You build that consensus with success." "And so part of my view is that, through cooperative federalism, through making the country work, we're building that track record in Alberta.""In other provinces, we are making progress with Quebec, Newfoundland, with Ontario, with the territories, with Nova Scotia, Atlantic. You know, we're making progress, but you build that, and then you say, okay, 'Where do we need to change?'"
