National News

Carney Is Going to Two Forever Canadian Rallies This Week. The Referendum Is in Five Days.

Keenan Hutka October 14, 2026 2 minutes read

CALGARY – October 14, 2026 – Prime Minister Mark Carney has accepted an invitation to two Forever Canadian rallies in Alberta this week, one in Calgary on Thursday and one in Edmonton on Friday. The October 19 referendum is five days away.

The rallies are run by the Forever Canadian campaign, started by Thomas Lukaszuk, a former Alberta deputy premier. Lukaszuk posted the invitation on social media on Monday. The Prime Minister’s Office confirmed Carney will attend both. The Calgary event is at the BMO Centre at Stampede Park, doors at 5:30 p.m. on October 15. The Edmonton event is at the EXPO Centre, doors at 5:30 p.m. on October 16. Registration is free and photo ID is required at the door. The campaign’s site says it invited Carney because the question is about the country, not only the province: “We want the country’s leader to see what we see every day: Albertans from every walk of life standing up for a united Canada.”

Albertans will answer ten questions on October 19. One asks whether the province should remain in Canada or hold a second, binding referendum on separation. The other nine cover constitutional and immigration issues. A yes on the separation question does not take Alberta out of the country. It starts the process toward a later vote. Premier Danielle Smith has said she will not hold another if the remain side wins, at least while she is premier. Some separatists have already called that a limit they do not accept.

Carney was in Fort McMurray with Smith on October 1, when Ottawa designated the Pacific Link pipeline a project of national interest. On Thanksgiving he sat in a classroom at St. Francis Xavier High School in Edmonton, his old school, and said Canada is stronger together. The rallies are the next step. Conservative Leader Pierre Poilievre is expected to speak on Canadian unity at a separate event in Calgary on Friday, at the Canada Strong and Free Network conference. Smith is also expected to address that gathering. The two sides will be in the same city on the same day, at different events, five days before the ballots are counted.