Prime Minister John A. Macdonald famously described dealing with provincial leaders as “herding cats.” He was right on the money: like cats, premiers will purr loudly to get what they want but ignore you when it suits them. Or worse, lure you in and scratch you when you least expect it. But MacDonald knew how to cajole them, humour them and get his way, and ultimately triumphed in uniting the country we call Canada.

Now it’s Prime Minister Mark Carney’s turn to do the herding. He is a cat guy, so you’d think he would be good at it. So far, he’s managed pretty well: he’s given Alberta treats, patted Ontario on the head and tickled Quebec under the chin. But now, the nasty business of separatism is yowling at the door — and he has no clue how to manage it.

On Monday, Carney declared that Alberta’s referendum is a “dangerous bluff” that “wasn’t on the ballot, it wasn’t in the mandate or the platforms of the governing party or the official Opposition.” He referenced his experience with the Brexit referendum in the United Kingdom, which he says is “still trying to undo what people didn’t think they were voting for,” adding, “Is it helpful to ask these fundamental questions? No, it’s not helpful.”

Cue the outrage across the country. Conservative MP Michelle Rempel Garner criticized Carney’s “tone,” saying he had “no right to wag his finger at Alberta.” Bloc Québécois MP Christine Normandin chimed in, “The future of Alberta belongs to Albertans, just as the future of Quebec belongs to Quebecers.”

Carney’s not wrong that referendums are torturous exercises. But scolding Alberta — and by extension, Quebec, which is holding its own “referendum on a referendum” this fall, since the Parti Québécois will hold a vote on separation if it wins the provincial election — won’t advance the federalist cause. If anything, it could backfire by making people feel like they are being dictated to by the very thing separatists are complaining about: Ottawa.

So what should Carney do instead? First, don’t go by the U.K. experience. Canada is not a unitary state like Britain. While both Alberta and Quebec cast federalism as the bogeyman, their grievances are not identical. Quebec has always been focused on language and culture, while Alberta’s main beef is about resource control. They don’t require the same approach, but inevitably what is said about one campaign will affect the other, and Carney needs to be mindful of this.

Second, keep your powder dry. Don’t exhaust your ammunition in May when the vote is in October. As the “Art of War” recommends, “He will win who knows when to fight and when not to fight.” Give the separatists time to shoot themselves in the foot. Right now, more than half of Albertans would vote to remain, find Premier Danielle Smith’s question confusing and don’t think she’s handling the issue well. Mobilizing allies behind the scenes and on social media is a better strategy in the early months of the campaign, as is allowing local voices to dominate the debate.

Finally, focus on your day job. The best way to make the case for Canada is to show that it works. For Carney, that means doing what he was elected to do: get a trade deal with the United States. If he doesn’t pull that off before October, then Quebec and Alberta separatists will be able to argue that they could do better for their provinces — or at least not worse. They don’t need to be right, they just need Carney to fail. So let me be clear: he can’t afford to.

National unity is the No. 1 job of the prime minister, but it’s not achieved with bluster and coercion. And unlike cats, politicians don’t have nine lives. Carney needs to channel his inner MacDonald if he wants to live out his.

Postmedia Network