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Danielle Smith avoids separation debate as Alberta referendum approaches
🇨🇦 Canada /Elections & Politics

Danielle Smith avoids separation debate as Alberta referendum approaches

From Global News · () English

Translated from English and summarized by DistantNews. Read the original for the full story.

At a glance

News Named sources Ongoing story
  • Alberta Premier Danielle Smith emphasized the province’s economic importance to Canada during Alberta Day events without discussing separation.
  • A vote scheduled for Oct. 19 will ask Albertans whether the province should remain in Canada or hold a binding referendum on leaving.
  • Separatists promoted independence, while opposition leader Naheed Nenshi and federalist campaigners urged postponement amid a trade dispute with the United States.

Danielle Smith marked Alberta’s anniversary by talking about the province’s place in Canada, not the separation question that will soon confront voters.

We are Canada’s economic engine. More than ever, Canadians understand what Alberta brings to the country.

— Danielle SmithThe Alberta premier addressed the province’s economic role during Alberta Day celebrations.

Speaking to a small crowd at Calgary’s Heritage Park, Alberta’s premier called the province “Canada’s economic engine” and said Canadians increasingly understood what Alberta contributed. She also said the world needed what Alberta had to offer. The event celebrated Alberta joining Confederation in 1905, with families carrying Alberta and Canadian flags.

Smith has called a vote for Oct. 19. The ballot will ask Albertans whether the province should remain in Canada or proceed to a second, binding referendum on leaving the country. At Heritage Park, she said Alberta and the rest of Canada had more in common than what divided them, and that the province’s best chapters lay ahead.

Despite our differences, we have far more in common than what divides us.

— Danielle SmithSmith spoke about Alberta’s relationship with Canada while avoiding the separation debate.

Heritage Park President and CEO Lindsey Galloway said the event should remain nonpolitical. She described Alberta Day as a reminder of a shared past and said Alberta’s common history meant its people belonged to one place.

I think it’s important that Alberta has a voice, and we don’t have a voice.

— Myra McClellandMcClelland explained her support for Alberta independence at Heritage Park.

The independence campaign still had a presence near the park entrance, although many attendees declined to discuss it. Myra McClelland, carrying a large Alberta flag, said she supported independence because Alberta needed a stronger voice. Separatists had gathered outside the Edmonton legislature on Saturday, while NDP Leader Naheed Nenshi held a “Vote for Canada” rally in Calgary. Nenshi and federalist organizer Thomas Lukaszuk both called for the referendum to be delayed as the trade war with the United States escalated. Lukaszuk said he was speaking for more than 400,000 Albertans who signed his petition.

We submit that this is not the time for unnecessary domestic conflict.

— Thomas LukaszukThe federalist petition organizer argued that the referendum should be postponed during the trade dispute with the United States.
About this summary

Originally published by Global News in English. Translated, summarized, and contextualized automatically by DistantNews, with a note on how the source frames the story. Not individually reviewed before publishing. How this works.

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