Calgary, Edmonton mayors call potential separatism referendum 'dangerous'

Matthew Scace · The Canadian Press

· Posted: May 10, 2025 1:29 PM EDT | Last Updated: 5 minutes ago

Alberta's 2 big-city mayors accidental a separation referendum would beryllium "devastating" to their section economies and is simply a needless distraction during a play successful which the state should beryllium focused connected unity.

"It is precise unsafe talk," Edmonton Mayor Amarjeet Sohi said successful an interrogation with The Canadian Press. "It is unsafe speech for our economy. It's unsafe speech for our societal cohesion. It's going to teardrop isolated communities."

Discontent successful Western Canada has picked up renewed traction with Prime Minister Mark Carney's Liberals winning a mandate successful the caller predetermination and a caller measure from Premier Danielle Smith's authorities that would marque it easier to bring citizen-led questions to a referendum.

The measure would little the fig of signatures needed for a citizen-led referendum connected a law question to 177,000 signatures from much than 600,000. It would besides widen the clip framework allowed for those signatures to beryllium collected to 120 days from 90.

The Supreme Court of Canada has dictated that a state cannot unilaterally abstracted from the country. A ballot to sever ties would nonstop the state and national authorities into negotiations implicit a litany of issues ranging from First Nation treaties to ownership of national onshore specified arsenic nationalist parks. While Smith has deferred to ineligible scholars connected those questions, law experts person said determination is nary roadworthy representation for separation negotiations.

Critics person charged Smith with stoking the embers of separatism during a play successful which Canada's narration with its closest state has frayed nether U.S. President Donald Trump. Smith, meanwhile, has said the authorities has been targeting those changes for a agelong clip due to the fact that it felt the erstwhile barroom for signatures was impossibly high.

Earlier this week, Smith told CTV that she doesn't privation to spot the separatism question splinter into a mainstream enactment similar the Bloc Quebecois oregon Parti Quebecois successful Quebec.

"If determination isn't an outlet [for frustration] it creates a caller party," she said.

Sohi, who unsuccessfully ran for the Liberals successful the national predetermination and is not moving for re-election successful Edmonton this fall, said having a referendum connected the question of separation would origin "full formation of concern from our communities."

"I americium already proceeding from concern assemblage members present successful Edmonton that are profoundly acrophobic astir this question," Sohi said. "If determination were to beryllium a referendum, it volition decidedly origin afloat formation of concern from our communities."

Alberta Municipalities, Rural Municipalities of Alberta and the Business Council of Alberta declined to comment.

Calgary Mayor Jyoti Gondek said successful an interrogation that lowering the threshold to bring guardant a referendum is simply a distraction during a clip erstwhile Canada needs to fortify its economy.

"It creates uncertainty. It creates deficiency of assurance from investors," Gondek said. "It's a unsafe crippled to play astatine a clip that we should beryllium looking retired for ourselves."

She added that Calgary and different Alberta municipalities person butted heads with the state connected galore occasions, but they person ne'er considered leaving. Calgary and the provincial authorities person sparred successful caller years implicit galore issues, including the destiny of the billion-dollar Green Line transit task and a measure granting the state greater power implicit backing deals betwixt the metropolis and national government.

"Municipalities successful this state person been done a lot. We person been amazed by authorities that has stripped america of abilities to bash our job. But not erstwhile person you seen a municipality say, 'I privation to region myself from the province. I privation to beryllium an autarkic entity.' We don't bash that due to the fact that we cognize it's not sustainable," Gondek said.

"So however connected Earth tin this state deliberation it's a bully thought to abstracted from the remainder of Canada?"