Carney’s Thanksgiving message directed at Alberta ahead of separation referendum

Video statement delivered from a classroom in Edmonton

Sara Sheydwasser · CBC News · Posted: Oct 12, 2026

In a video released on social media on Thanksgiving Monday, Prime Minister Mark Carney said this year's holiday is different as Albertans prepare to vote next week in a referendum on the province's future in Canada. 'Canada is facing real threats to our economy, to our security, to our way of life. We have to be strong and we are stronger together,' he said.
Prime Minister Mark Carney addressed the nation from a classroom in Alberta on Thanksgiving morning, addressing the non-binding question tied to Alberta’s potential separation from Canada in the upcoming referendum.

“A week from today, Albertans will have the opportunity to make an important decision about their future,” Carney said as he sat at a desk in his alma mater, St. Francis Xavier High School, in west Edmonton.

“Now, I have some perspectives on this choice. I grew up in Alberta.”

Albertans are preparing to go to the polls on Oct. 19 for a 10-question referendum. The final question asks whether Alberta should remain a province of Canada, or hold a second, binding referendum on separating from the country.

“I'm back home a lot these days because we are building big things again in Alberta,” Carney said, referencing the federal government’s housing initiatives, a proposed high-speed rail route from Edmonton to Calgary and the newly proposed pipeline stretching from Alberta’s oilfield to the West Coast.

“We can't achieve any of this if we're divided. You can't build big things on fault lines.”

Carney continued, referencing recent threats to Canada’s economy and security.

“Generations of Albertans helped build this country,” he said. “It's yours, it's ours, and it's worth fighting for.”