David Eby has made it clear that British Columbia will not entertain the idea of splitting from Canada. He said it was a "non-starter" in the province, and urged premiers Danielle Smith and Scott Moe to "push back strongly" against "separatist sentiment" in Alberta and Saskatchewan.."British Columbians are all in for Canada," Eby said during a press conference in Victoria on Wednesday, "and here in this province we understand that this is the moment for all of us to stand strong together, arm in arm as a country."He emphasized that this does not take anything away from the "reasonable demands" he and other Western premiers have taken to Ottawa, namely that the federal government "ensures we have access to the same level of funding, the same opportunities that Quebec and Ontario get, and the same level of respect." ."You've got a couple conservative premiers in Saskatchewan and Alberta," Eby continued, referring to Moe and Smith. "Their preferred candidate was not successful in the federal election. They have strong Conservative bases of support in those provinces. They're navigating tricky waters."He called on the pair to join him and "work together for the good of the country to hold the country together, and to push back strongly on any kind of separatist sentiment.""Take the moment to defend our country, take the moment to stand together, understanding that it can be more challenging in other jurisdictions," Eby concluded, "but this country needs to stick together right now. That's what I stand for.".On Monday, Smith opened the door for a "separation" referendum, so long as it is organized by citizens..UPDATED: Smith opens door to independence referendum, will chair 'Alberta Next Panel' in escalating pushback against Ottawa ."While I will, in good faith, work with Prime Minister Mark Carney on unwinding the mountain of destructive legislation and policies that have ravaged our provincial and national economies this past decade," she added, "until I see tangible proof of real change, Alberta will be taking steps to better protect ourselves from Ottawa."
