CALGARY — Prime Minister Mark Carney has made it “absolutely clear” that foreign governments, including the United States, should stay out of Alberta’s referendum, and has rejected claims that Canada has been interfering in the upcoming US midterms.Carney said on Thursday that federal national security agencies are monitoring potential foreign interference ahead of the referendum vote coming up Monday, and that he had been briefed on the matter, but there was a “limit” to what he could say.“It’s fundamental to ensure the integrity of all our elections, whether it’s municipal, this referendum, national, provincial elections,” Carney told Global News.“Our national security agencies are very active in monitoring potential foreign interference.”His comments come after Pete Hoekstra, US ambassador to Canada, issued a stern warning to Ottawa on Wednesday, telling Canadian politicians — such as Industry Minister Mélanie Joly — to stay out of American politics, and saying that officials are monitoring potential “political interference in the US midterms.”.Carney denies Pacific Link pipeline is political move to quell Alberta independence sentiment.“It appears that some of this, from our perspective, in the way we view our elections, could be inferred to be election interference,” Hoekstra said on The Really Big Show podcast.“You have Minister Joly saying of course we are going to target tariffs in politically sensitive states.”Hoekstra also took a shot at an advertising campaign run last year by Ontario Premier Doug Ford’s government against US tariff policy, which used the voice of former President Ronald Reagan.“Clearly the actions of the province of Ontario a year ago, in running political ads against our administration are interpreted as political interference,” Hoekstra stated.“It’s never happened in America before. Canada decided they would test the waters and see how far they could go.”In response, Carney said Ottawa’s expectations of foreign governments, including the US, were clear.“We don’t get ourselves involved in their elections. They don’t get themselves involved in our elections,” he stated..‘MONTY PYTHON-ESQUE’: Kenney rips into independence leaders over US meetings.On a separate matter, Carney was questioned about reports of Alberta independence leaders having met in Washington, DC, with US State Department officials.Prominent independence proponents such as the Alberta Prosperity Project’s Jeffrey Rath and Dr. Dennis Modry were said to have met with members of the US State Department to discuss key provincial assets such as access to fresh water and oil royalties in exchange for the US government helping with the transition to independence.However, earlier this month, Modry told the Western Standard that “that’s not what happened at all.”“I was at every meeting, and nothing of the sort was stated,” Modry said, adding that the talks were about a hypothetical future and not negotiations on behalf of Alberta.He also added that no one from Premier Danielle Smith’s government took part in the proceedings and that no agreement was reached.While Carney did not identify any specific instances of foreign interference in Alberta's referendum, he urged Albertans to participate in Monday’s vote.“Let's have the voices of Albertans heard,” he said.“Let's have high turnout in this referendum. Let's vote option one to move forward at an incredibly exciting time for the province and for the country.”
