Carney is in Calgary tonight to make the case for Canada — four days before the Alberta vote

Prime Minister Mark Carney is in Calgary today to headline a pro-Canada rally, four days before Albertans vote in a referendum on whether to begin the process of separating from Canada.

Carney is scheduled to join former Alberta deputy premier Thomas Lukaszuk at a rally for his "Forever Canadian" group at the BMO Centre in Calgary on Thursday, with remarks expected in the evening, the Canadian Press reported. A second rally with Lukaszuk is scheduled in Edmonton on Friday.

It is not the first time the two have teamed up: last month Carney invited Lukaszuk's group to a cabinet retreat in Banff and signed the Maple Leaf-wrapped motorhome Lukaszuk has been touring the province in, according to CP. Carney has said Canada is worth fighting for and that the country works better when it works together.

Also Friday, Conservative Leader Pierre Poilievre and Premier Danielle Smith are scheduled to speak at the Strong and Free Networking conference in Calgary — Poilievre's keynote is titled "The Canadian Drift: Reclaiming Confidence, Abundance, and Freedom for Alberta," per CP.

What's on the ballot

Monday's vote puts 10 questions to Albertans, including whether the province should stay in Canada or hold a second, binding vote on quitting Confederation, CP reported. Polling cited by AFP suggests less than a quarter of Alberta's roughly five million residents want independence, though separatist leader Mitch Sylvestre of the Alberta Prosperity Project told AFP those numbers are off — "I would be very surprised if we got less than 40 percent," he said.

The week's rally calendar has been packed on both sides: Alberta NDP Leader Naheed Nenshi and former premier Rachel Notley shared a stage at a "Vote to Save Canada" rally in Edmonton on Wednesday, political blogger Daveberta reported.