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Alberta and Canada don’t agree on everything, but they’re on the same page when it comes to staying in Confederation, Premier Danielle Smith told a crowd in Red Deer Friday.
“We often disagree quite publicly on several things. But today we can all agree that on question 10, we are voting for Option 1 to remain in Canada.”
Albertans are set to get to polls on Monday for a 10-question referendum. On question 10, Albertans will choose either Option 1, to remain in Canada, or Option 2, to begin the process to hold a second, binding referendum on separation.
Smith joined Prime Minister Mark Carney at a brewery in Red Deer, as he passed through on his way from Thursday’s Forever Canadian rally in Calgary and the one in Edmonton Friday.
“This is now a time, a moment in Canadian history where we are going to be able to work side-by-side,” Smith said. “I feel for the first time in a long time, Alberta and Canada are walking together.“
Carney said Alberta’s trust in the federal government has been tested, but their interests are now aligned.
“As a country, we are co-operating again. Canada is working again. We are coming together. “
At a campaign stop with Prime Minister Mark Carney, Alberta Premier Danielle Smith said she and Carney can agree on voting to remain in Canada in the upcoming referendum, but ‘there is still more to come’ and she is going to vote yes to the nine other questions on the ballot. ‘I have bad news for you, prime minister – all of the premiers are interested in talking about immigration reform,’ Smith said.
Both leaders urged Albertans to vote and listed examples of what their recent co-operation has achieved, including the announcement of the Pacific Link pipeline and agreements on water, housing and defence.
There are more shared wins to come, Smith said, noting the Supreme Court of Canada agreed Thursday to hear an appeal of the federal ban on single-use plastics.
While Carney and Smith agree on a united Canada, Smith wants Albertans to vote “yes” on nine referendum questions that would give the province more control over immigration and a mandate to pursue constitutional changes to wrest power from Ottawa.
Carney, meanwhile, has urged Albertans to say “no to the nine.”
The premier said Friday she will work to change his mind.
Prime Minister Mark Carney attends a national unity rally in Red Deer alongside Alberta Premier Danielle Smith on Friday, Oct. 16, 2026. (John Ulan/The Canadian Press)
Near the end of his brief comments, Carney held up a pair of red, knitted mittens, calling them a symbol.
They were made in Red Deer with a pattern by an Ontario designer and yarn from New Brunswick, citing it as an example of the “threads that link us as a country.”
“What we’re facing on Monday is, in part, a reflection of that.”
Both leaders called out notable politicians in the crowd, including former Alberta premier Ed Stelmach and former MP Monte Solberg from Stephen Harper’s cabinet.
Pro-remain supporters gather outside of Red Hart Brewing in Red Deer, Alta., on Friday, Oct. 16. Prime Minister Mark Carney and Alberta Premier Danielle Smith spoke inside the brewery, making a pitch for unity before the Alberta referendum on Monday. (Lina Elsaadi/CBC)
Carney is scheduled to speak later Friday at a Forever Canadian rally in Edmonton, while Smith is headed to Calgary to speak at the Canada Strong and Free Network conference. Earlier Friday, Federal Conservative Leader Pierre Poilievre made his pitch for unity at the same conference.
