Carney says Albertans chose unity and to move forward with ‘purpose’ and ‘high ambition’

Prime Minister Mark Carney said he’s thrilled with the results of the referendum on separation in Alberta and is looking forward to moving forward with the province in a spirit of “high ambition.”

“It’s a great result for Canada. I’m thrilled that Albertans have chosen unity,” he said on his way into a cabinet meeting Tuesday morning. 

“They’ve chosen to build together. They’ve chosen to continue to take care of each other, to move forward together with purpose, high ambition.”

Carney said he spoke with Alberta Premier Danielle Smith before meeting reporters and the two leaders first discussed their mutual, ongoing efforts to help the victims and families impacted by the tragedy at the Canada Forces base in Wainwright, Alta., this week.  

“That was our first focus, and then, we turned to the referendum,” Carney said.

More than 75 per cent voted to stay in Canada

The prime minister said Monday’s vote delivered a result that was “absolutely clear.” The CBC News decision desk reported that 75.5 per cent of those who voted in the referendum voted in favour of Alberta remaining a province of Canada and 24.5 per cent voted to hold a referendum on separation, with 4,613 of 5,584 polls reporting. 

“It’s a vast majority in favour of staying in Canada, and now is a time to work together for all Albertans and all Canadians,” Carney said. 

Intergovernmental Affairs Minister Dominic LeBlanc echoed those comments in Ottawa Tuesday, calling the result a “very decisive decision from Albertans for the unity of Canada.”

LeBlanc said his government’s priority now as always is to continue to work together collaboratively with the rest of the provinces. 

The prime minister said that he and Smith discussed “other priorities” facing Canadians, namely, immigration, which was the subject of one of the other nine questions on the ballot Monday night, the results of which have not been fully tabulated yet. 

WATCH | Albertans made a ‘decisive’ decision for unity, says LeBlanc:

Albertans made a ‘decisive’ decision for unity, says LeBlanc

Intergovernmental Affairs Minister Dominic LeBlanc says Ottawa’s priority is to work ‘collaboratively’ with all provinces, including Alberta.

That question asked voters in the province if they support a move to have Alberta take greater control over immigration “for the purposes of decreasing immigration to more sustainable levels, prioritizing economic migration and giving Albertans first priority on new employment opportunities.”

Constitutional amendments not the only way to reform: Carney

While immigration is already a shared responsibility between the provinces and the federal government, Quebec has more freedom to influence eligibility requirements than do other provinces. 

That influence came over time and was formalized in the Canada-Quebec Accord, but some have suggested giving other provinces that power would require a constitutional amendment, a notion Carney described as a drastic approach that is not necessary. 

WATCH | Carney says government has taken back control of immigration:

Carney says government has taken back control of immigration

Asked about some Albertans voting in favour of immigration reforms for Canada, Prime Minister Mark Carney says reductions in the numbers of asylum seekers, temporary foreign workers and foreign students show Ottawa is moving toward a ‘more sustainable pace’ on immigration. Carney also said he’s open to finding ‘more solutions’ with provinces.

“Constitutional change is difficult, it’s long,” Carney said. “I believe, for example, on the issue of immigration and co-operation between the federal government and the provinces for sustainable immigration … that we can accomplish that without constitutional change.”

The prime minister did not rule out the possibility of amending the Constitution but said his approach is to work with Alberta and other provinces to reach common ground. If that doesn’t work, the possibility of tackling the issue constitutionally, through the official amendment process, remains. 

Another proposed constitutional amendment on the ballot involved giving Alberta the right to appoint judges to the provincial King’s Bench and appeal courts, but Carney said that while some in the country may think constitutional change is the only way to tackle reforms to immigration and the courts, he disagrees with that approach. 

“Let’s work together, let’s find common solutions now, and then, if it were to become necessary, it’s a question of priorities,” he said.