Carney warns Alberta independence vote from Canada could echo Brexit as
a 'dangerous bluff'
[May 26, 2026]
By ROB GILLIES
TORONTO (AP) — Canadian Prime Minister Mark Carney on Monday compared
Alberta’s vote on whether to move toward independence to Brexit, calling
it a potential “dangerous bluff.”
Danielle Smith, the premier of Canada’s oil-rich province of Alberta,
said last week a vote would be held Oct. 19 on whether Alberta should
stay in Canada or take legal steps under the Constitution to hold a
binding referendum on leaving.
Carney drew on his experience with Brexit in his comments. Carney was
the governor of the Bank of England in 2016 when Britain voted to leave
the European Union, and he helped navigate the central bank through it.
“I saw firsthand what happened in the United Kingdom when the view was,
‘Vote for this, it’ll be soft and then we’ll negotiate, etc.,’ Carney
said. “They’re still 10 years later trying to undo what people didn’t
think they were voting for, but what they ended up having.”
Smith’s party didn’t run on or mention a referendum in the last
provincial election campaign.
Carney said the vote is not helpful when he’s trying to attract
investment to Canada. He suggested it is undemocratic.
“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,” Carney said.
Smith has said she supports Alberta remaining in Canada. Some have
compared her stance to the one of Britain’s then-Prime Minister David
Cameron ahead of the Brexit referendum, which he embraced as a way to
manage a vocal faction of his ruling party while not wanting the U.K. to
leave the European Union.
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Prime Minister Mark Carney talks to reporters as he takes part in an
event at a new housing development in Orleans, Ont., on Monday, May
25, 2026. (Sean Kilpatrick /The Canadian Press via AP)
Carney is working on getting a new oil pipeline built from Alberta
to Canada’s Pacific coast. Many Albertans have long complained that
Ottawa hasn’t done enough to get Alberta’s vast oil reserves to
Asian markets.
“We have to be very careful about this. There’s a very strong
positive case for Canada, a strong Alberta in a united Canada,”
Carney said. “I look forward to making that case with many, many
other Albertans and Canadians over the course of the next 150 days.”
Responding to Carney’s comments Monday, Smith said separation is an
issue for Albertans alone to decide.
“Albertans’ frustrations have been fueled by the last 10 years of
disastrous policies from Ottawa under … Justin Trudeau,” Smith said
in a statement from her office, referencing the previous prime
minister.
“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.”
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