Full Breakdown
Prime Minister Mark Carney Urges Albertans to Reject the Nine Referendum Questions
By Drooid · · How we work
Core Event
Prime Minister Mark Carney travelled to Calgary to rally support for the “No to the Nine” campaign, which urges voters to reject all nine ballot questions that focus on immigration policy and constitutional reform in the upcoming Alberta referendum.
Background & Context
The provincial referendum proposes nine separate questions, several of which would alter immigration rules and amend the Canadian Constitution. Federal-level groups have organized a “No to the Nine” advertising campaign that frames the questions as divisive and manipulative. The federal government has repeatedly emphasized cooperative federalism and has argued that a referendum is unnecessary for immigration decisions.
Official Statements & Responses
A spokesperson for the Prime Minister’s Office reiterated that the government believes in cooperative federalism that can deliver results without a divisive vote. Carney also warned that national projects cannot succeed “if we’re divided,” emphasizing the importance of unity for large-scale initiatives such as the Pacific Link pipeline.
Criticism & Opposition
Liberal MP Corey Hogan announced he would vote “no” to all nine questions as a protest against the process, questioning whether Canadians should “reward this kind of behaviour.” Hogan expressed particular ambivalence toward the question on abolishing the Senate, noting his mixed feelings toward senators.
Verbatim Quotes
- “I just wanted to come here, thank you for what you've already done, thank you what you're going to do in the next few days,” — Mark Carney, prime minister “I just wanted to come here, thank you for what you've already done, thank you what you're going to do in the next few days,” — Mark Carney, prime minister
- “We can't achieve any of this if we're divided.” — Mark Carney, prime minister “We can't achieve any of this if we're divided. You can't build big things on fault lines,” — Mark Carney, prime minister
- “Well, the first thing is that we don't need a referendum to make progress on taking control on immigration. We've taken control on immigration,” — Mark Carney, prime minister “Well, the first thing is that we don't need a referendum to make progress on taking control on immigration. We've taken control on immigration,” — Mark Carney, prime minister
- “We should be asking ourselves: do we want to reward this kind of behaviour? And I don't think that we should,” — Corey Hogan, Liberal MP “We should be asking ourselves: do we want to reward this kind of behaviour? And I don't think that we should,” — Corey Hogan, joined the show to voice his own thoughts ahead of Monday's referendum
