CALGARY — Parti Québécois leader Paul St-Pierre Plamondon believes Prime Minister Mark Carney’s comments dismissing a “50% plus one” majority in a future referendum on Alberta independence are “out of line.”Plamondon defended Alberta’s right to consult its population on independence while speaking to reporters on Tuesday, saying that Carney “seemed to be willing to give many things to Alberta in exchange for some peace” and that Alberta Premier Danielle Smith was “just doing her job as premier” by adding a question on the subject to the province-wide October 19 referendum ballot..“[Alberta] is free to consult their population,” Plamondon said.“So for Mark Carney to all of a sudden start saying that it’s a bluff, it’s dangerous, I think it’s really out of line and I’m not sure where that is heading.”The Parti Québécois leader also pointed to Quebec’s own history regarding sovereignty and referendums, arguing the principle of provincial self-determination is already well established.“In the case of Quebec, our laws are clear,” he stated.“The history of the two referendums is very clear. We are free to consult our population at any time, and there's no blackmail or any comment that will change that principle, and I’m pretty sure that it’s the same reasoning in Alberta right now.”His comments come after Prime Minister Mark Carney said that a simple “50% plus one” result would not be sufficient under the Clarity Act for a provincial independence referendum..Asked by Western Standard reporter Walid Tamtam whether a simple majority would be enough in a future referendum, Carney responded bluntly, “No, it is not. It is not under the Clarity Act. It is absolutely not.”“I would just recommend that you read the Clarity Act. It’s very clear — not surprisingly, the Clarity Act is very clear,” Carney said.During Question Period on Tuesday, Christine Normandin argued democratic votes are generally decided by “50% plus one” and called for the repeal of the Clarity Act.Carney replied that the House of Commons must consider several factors when determining whether a referendum result represents a “clear expression” in favour of independence, including voter turnout and the size of the majority.At the Western Premiers’ Conference in Kananaskis Tuesday, Smith was asked by the Western Standard if she agreed with the prime minister’s comments..WATCH: Renew Alberta president claims referendum to hold a referendum shows why Canada is broken.She said Alberta’s proposed question would not itself be a Clarity Act question because it would only test public opinion on whether Albertans want to begin a process that could eventually lead to a referendum on independence.“[It’s] testing the waters based on seven hundred thousand signatures collected, four hundred thousand on the remain petition, three hundred thousand on the independence petition. But it's structured in a way that allows us to get some indication from Albertans on policy. It's not a Clarity Act question. It's not binding,” Smith stated.
