Carney Warns Alberta Separatism Is Dangerous, Citing Brexit as a Warning

Canadian Prime Minister Mark Carney has warned that separatist efforts in Alberta are dangerous, drawing a parallel with Brexit and the long-term consequences of voting decisions that are not fully understood at the time. Speaking in Ottawa, Carney said the United Kingdom has still been dealing with the effects of its 2016 decision to leave the European Union a decade later. Carney, who was Governor of the Bank of England when the United Kingdom voted to leave the bloc, said voters do not always fully grasp the real consequences of the decisions they make. He said Canada would face serious risks if a similar dynamic were allowed to unfold in the country. Separatists in oil-rich Alberta have claimed they collected 300,000 signatures needed to force a referendum on leaving Canada. However, a court halted the effort, ruling that it was invalid on the grounds that the rights of Indigenous groups could be threatened. Alberta Premier Danielle Smith called the court ruling wrong and said she would prepare her own ballot question in a way that would not violate the judicial decision.