As Albertans prepare to vote in an October 19 referendum, it should come as little surprise that Prime Minister Mark Carney plans to return to the province he once called home for Canada Day celebrations.
Carney is expected to speak at a Canada Day event in Mill Woods early Wednesday evening. He was at Canada Day celebrations in Ottawa in the morning.
Carney grew up in Edmonton, where he went to St. Francis Xavier Catholic High School in the city’s west end.
With the country’s eyes on Alberta because of the coming referendum on whether or not Alberta should have a separation referendum, it’s easy to see why the Carney chose to spend the bulk of this national holiday here.
In the morning, Carney issued his Canada Day message, stating “we are stronger when we are united.”
The message was clearly a rallying cry for national unity.
“Canadians have never just imagined a stronger, more united country. We’ve picked up our tools and built one.
“At this decisive moment, we are choosing to build big once again – with Canadian workers, Canadian materials, and Canadian values. Choosing Canadian produce. Rediscovering our own country, from the Cabot Trail to the Columbia Icefield, from the Bay of Fundy to the northern lights. Small acts of solidarity, repeated millions of times, proving that together we can give ourselves far more than anyone could ever take away.
“There will always be forces that want to divide us. They forget this country’s founding insight: that unity is not uniformity, that our differences are strengths to nurture rather than risks to manage, and that our values serve as an unshakeable foundation.”
More to come…
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