Carney drew 5,000 to Calgary's BMO Centre and told Alberta: "vote like Canada depends on it" — Monday decides

CALGARY — Prime Minister Mark Carney told a crowd the Prime Minister's Office estimated at at least 5,000 people at Calgary's BMO Centre on Thursday night to treat Monday's Alberta referendum "like Canada depends on it," delivering his sharpest warning yet that the province is flirting with years of deep division.

The Associated Press reported that Carney argued failing to vote to keep Alberta in Canada would cause "deep division and great uncertainty," and that the referendum arrives at the worst possible time, with the world "more dangerous and divided."

"Don't let anyone tell you this is already decided," Carney told the cheering crowd, many wearing red and white and hoisting hockey sticks draped with Canadian flags, according to The Canadian Press. "Turnout will determine the outcome."

What the referendum asks

Monday's vote is not a direct vote on independence. The Canadian Press reported that Albertans will answer ten questions, including whether the province should remain in Canada or hold a second, binding referendum on separation. A yes on the separation question would start the process toward a later vote rather than removing Alberta from Confederation.

The rally was organized by the Forever Canadian campaign, launched by former Alberta deputy premier Thomas Lukaszuk to encourage a stay-in-Canada vote. Lukaszuk's group has said it invited the prime minister because the question is about the country, not just the province.

"Worst possible time"

Speaking to pro-Canada volunteers earlier in the day, Carney said there "couldn't be a worse time" for Alberta to start down the path toward a future separation vote, the AP reported. He pointed to the trade war with the United States, tariffs, and repeated threats from U.S. President Donald Trump to make Canada the 51st state — warning that outside Canada's borders some are working to "break us so they can own us."

He argued Albertans' frustrations are real, but that Ottawa is working in a spirit of co-operative federalism — and called a vote against Canada "a dangerous bluff" that could lead to years of lost opportunities.

The Canadian Press reported Carney pointed to the ties binding Alberta to the rest of the country: the many Albertans born or educated elsewhere in Canada, and firefighters who cross provincial lines to help Alberta during wildfire seasons.

The battle for the weekend

Carney takes the campaign to Edmonton on Friday for a second Forever Canadian rally at the EXPO Centre, the campaign's site said. Meanwhile, Federal Conservative Leader Pierre Poilievre is set to deliver his own speech backing Canadian unity on Friday at a Canada Strong and Free Network conference in Calgary, where Premier Danielle Smith is also scheduled to appear, according to CP.

Advance voting wraps up Saturday, Oct. 17, and results are announced Oct. 20. Smith has said she will not hold another referendum if the remain side wins, at least while she is premier — though some separatists have said they do not accept that limit, RL News reported.