Mark Carney Visits Calgary, Urges Albertans to Vote ‘No to the Nine’ Ahead of Referendum

Prime Minister Mark Carney brought his campaign against Alberta's nine referendum questions to Calgary on Thursday, four days before the province votes.

He spent the day shaking hands, posing for selfies and asking Albertans to do two things: vote to stay in Canada, and vote no on the other nine questions on the ballot.

That puts him at odds with Premier Danielle Smith. She also wants Alberta to stay in Canada, but she wants a yes on all nine.

Many Albertans have already voted. More than 815,000 ballots are in, counting advance votes and returned mail-in ballots, according to Elections Alberta figures reported Thursday.

Carney urges "No to the Nine"

Alberta's Oct. 19 referendum asks 10 questions.

Question 10 asks whether Alberta should remain a province of Canada, or whether the government should start the legal process under the Constitution to hold a binding referendum on separating.

Questions 1 to 9 are about immigration and changing the Constitution: limiting provincial services for some newcomers, proof of citizenship to vote, provinces choosing judges, abolishing the Senate and giving provinces more power.

"No to the Nine" is a federalist campaign. It asks Albertans to vote to stay, and to reject the other nine.

Carney is all in. His office says Ottawa can work with Alberta on its concerns "without needing to have a referendum that divides us."

On Calgary radio station Red FM, he said there's no need for a vote on immigration.

"We don't need a referendum to make progress on taking control on immigration," Carney told host Rishi Nagar. "We've taken control on immigration."

Carney makes his case for staying together

At Bridgeland Riverside Community Association Park, Carney spoke to a few dozen volunteers, many in Maple Leaf red. Liberal MPs Eleanor Olszewski and Corey Hogan stood with him.

"We can make ourselves stronger as a country, stronger as Albertans," he said. "Why? So we can live our lives as we want."

He spoke about the province's diversity.

"We can have the diversity in this province, so we take care of each other, and we build together," he said.

Then he made it about young Albertans.

"For the youth of this great province, we need to get people out to vote," he said. "I just wanted to come here and thank you for what you've already done. Thank you for what you're going to do in the next few days."

He ended with his ask: "Make sure everyone's out there marking their ballots, including, 'No to the Nine.'"

The crowd chanted it back.

When one woman told him she had worn red for him, Carney said: "It's for us. It's all for Canada."

Earlier, at the Cinnamon restaurant in northeast Calgary, staff gave him a bouquet of flowers. His message to the room was short.

"Polls don't vote. People do," he said.

To undecided voters, he said it's the wrong moment to talk about leaving.

"For those who are undecided, it's hard to think of a worse time for a referendum or a better time for the province," Carney said. "The world is dangerously divided."

Danielle Smith pushes back

Smith answered on X.

She said she and Carney have "found common ground on many things" over the past 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.

She said those policies made the cost of living soar, overwhelmed social services and put homes and jobs out of reach for thousands of young Canadians. Her message to Albertans: vote "yes to the rest."

Smith says she voted for Alberta to stay in Canada. She wants a yes on the other nine questions because, she says, it would give her a mandate and more leverage in talks with Ottawa.

"I haven't been neutral on that," she told CBC last week.

That's the split. Carney and Smith are on the same side of the biggest question on the ballot. They disagree on how Alberta should get more say over its own future.

Both governments are paying to make their case. Smith's government has committed $4 million to an ad campaign backing the nine questions and a "strong and sovereign Alberta within a united Canada." Ottawa's "O Canada" unity ad is expected to cost about $250,000, according to the Privy Council Office.

Students crowd around Carney at the University of Calgary

His busiest stop was a University of Calgary food court.

Students crowded around him as soon as he walked in, The Canadian Press reported. RCMP officers and security pushed the crowd back while he took selfies and signed Canadian flags.

CBC News reported that one student asked him to sign his chest. He declined.

Outside, more people waited by his motorcade. He signed flags for two women, then gave their pen back.

"Never let it be said that I stole," he joked.

More than 815,000 ballots in

According to Elections Alberta figures reported by the Edmonton Journal, turnout is already high:

Advance voting runs until Saturday, so the count will keep climbing.

Elections Alberta has hired 47,000 workers for the referendum and warns of long lineups. It suggests reading the questions before you go.

It also has a strange problem. Its service centre is getting so many calls about this week's Forever Canadian rallies that Elections Alberta says it's "delaying Elections Alberta's response to electors overall." Registered third-party advertisers run those rallies, not Elections Alberta, so questions about them should go to the organizers.

Ten ballots, and Question 10 comes first

Voters get 10 separate, colour-coded ballots, and each goes into its own colour-coded box.

Question 10 is numbered last, but Elections Alberta says it's handed out first and counted first at every voting station.

Voting to start the separation process wouldn't make Alberta independent. It would start a legal process toward a second, binding referendum.

Immigration (Questions 1 to 5)

1. Alberta taking more control over immigration

2. Limiting provincially funded programs to citizens, permanent residents and others with Alberta-approved status

3. A 12-month wait before non-permanent residents get provincial social supports

4. Fees or premiums for non-permanent residents using health care and education

5. Proof of citizenship to vote in provincial elections

The Constitution (Questions 6 to 9)
6. Provinces choosing King's Bench and Court of Appeal judges
7. Abolishing the Senate
8. Letting provinces opt out of federal programs and keep the funding
9. Provincial laws winning over federal ones in shared or provincial areas

The exact wording is on Elections Alberta's website.

Carney Warns Against Division at Calgary Rally

Carney continued his Alberta referendum campaign Thursday evening at the Forever Canadian rally at Calgary's BMO Centre.

He warned that Canada's divisions could benefit interests outside the country.

"Some outside our borders are working to break us so they can own us," Carney said, according to The Associated Press.

He also cautioned Albertans against voting for separation simply to send Ottawa a message, arguing that the consequences could extend well beyond Monday's referendum.

Carney is expected to continue his Alberta tour Friday, with stops in Red Deer and Edmonton.

How to vote in Alberta's referendum

• Advance voting: Until Saturday, Oct. 17, 9 a.m. to 8 p.m., at any advance location in your electoral division

• Voting day: Monday, Oct. 19, 9 a.m. to 8 p.m., at your assigned location only

• ID: Vouching is no longer accepted, but more than 50 other forms of ID are.

• Time off: Under Alberta law, eligible workers get three consecutive hours to vote.

• Results: Unofficial results have to be reported within 48 hours of polls closing.

• Where to vote: map.elections.ab.ca

Sources

Elections Alberta: 2026 Referendum
Elections Alberta: Important Referendum Information, May 2026
Elections Alberta: Changes to the voting experience
Forever Canadian: Rally details