Prime Minister Mark Carney was swamped by selfie-seeking well-wishers Thursday as he toured through Alberta’s largest city to rally the pro-Canada vote ahead of Monday’s referendum on separation.
Carney urged Albertans to not only vote for Confederation, but to also reject the nine other questions on the ballot involving immigration and the Constitution.
Alberta Premier Danielle Smith has said she needs a yes to those nine to send a message to Ottawa that provinces need more autonomy and respect.
“It’s time for us to come together, stand up for ourselves and take care of each other,” Carney told the cheering crowd at a Calgary park in one of three events early in the day.
“(Say) no to the nine,” he added to more cheers, including from two of his Liberal MPs from Alberta, Eleanor Olszewski and Corey Hogan, who stood beside him.
Carney began the day taking selfies, giving handshakes and accepting a bouquet of flowers at a northeast restaurant.
Many sported small red and white Canadian flags in their shirt pockets.
“I like the red,” Carney said as he shook hands.
One woman said: “It’s for you.”
“It’s for us. It’s all for Canada,” replied Carney.
At the park, he joined dozen of people, many dressed in varieties of Maple Leaf red, and urged them to reject Smith’s other nine ballot questions.
- Watch Prime Minister Mark Carney speak live at the Forever Canadian Rally in Calgary, starting at 6:45 p.m. MT / 8:45 p.m. ET. Stream the event live on CTVNews.ca, CTVNewsCalgary.ca, and the CTV News App.
Most of those present held signs and slogans denouncing the nine questions and separation.
From there, it was on to the student hall food court at the University of Calgary. Carney was swarmed from the moment he arrived. Some waved small Canadian flags. A poster in the crowd said “Just No. Vote No. Vote Remain.”
RCMP and security officials pushed back against the crowd while Carney smiled, posed for photos, made chit chat and autographed Canadian flags.
“New Canadian,” said Carney pointing at a smiling young woman as they posed for a photo.
One man stood on a table to shout: “Carney. You are awesome. You are awesome, man.”
Outside, a large crowd gathered at Carney’s motorcade. He signed flags for two women and made a point of giving back their pen. “Never let it be said that I stole,” he said.
Carney was later set to join former Alberta deputy premier Thomas Lukaszuk at a rally for his Forever Canadian group, which has been campaigning to keep the province in Confederation.
Smith, also in Calgary on Thursday, was scheduled at the same time to headline a United Conservative Party fundraiser.
On Friday, the prime minister is slated to attend a similar rally Edmonton, as well as meet with business leaders in Red Deer. The premier’s office said Smith would also be at the event with Carney.
She is also to speak Friday in Calgary alongside other conservative heavyweights, including federal Conservative leader Pierre Poilievre.
The premier has kept a comparatively low profile in the last week.
She posted a video announcing she cast an advance ballot to stay in Canada and urged Albertans to vote yes to the other nine questions. She has said a yes for Canada and a yes vote to the other nine questions gives her the leverage she needs to fight for a strong Alberta within a united Canada.
The nine questions focus on giving Alberta more power over immigration while also erecting restrictions, and perhaps fees, for some newcomers and temporary workers who want to access health care, education and other social services.
Smith has said immigration costs are prohibitively expensive, but critics have called her questions an anti-immigrant dog whistle.
The other questions ask Albertans to give their blessing for the government to work with other provinces to change the Constitution in order to wrest power from Ottawa and abolish the Senate.
Smith responded to Carney’s comments in a social media post Thursday, saying they’ve found common ground on many things over the last 18 months.
“However, it appears that he has yet to fully understand just how damaging the open border policies of his predecessor were,” she wrote.
“Those policies caused Canada’s cost of living to skyrocket, overwhelmed our social services, and made homes and jobs unattainable for thousands of young Canadians.”
She said that that’s why she wants a strong mandate from the nine questions to take more provincial control over immigration, give Albertans first priority for jobs and ensure their social services are sustainable.
Smith’s government committed $4 million to an advertising campaign pushing voters to support the nine, and a “strong and sovereign Alberta within a united Canada.”
The Prime Minister’s Office said it’s spending about $250,000 on its “O Canada” ad campaign.
The Forever Canadian rallies this week have created communication snarls for the province’s election authority.
In an update Thursday, Elections Alberta said its service centre was overwhelmed with calls about the events.
It said under election law, registered third party advertisers are permitted to hold events, but the influx of calls is delaying the agency’s response to voters overall.
This report by The Canadian Press was first published Oct. 15, 2026.
Bill Graveland and Dayne Patterson, The Canadian Press
