A Canadian State is Set to Vote to Secede From The Country. PM Carney is Putting the Blame Outside.

Canadian Prime Minister Mark Carney warned citizens against supporting the secession of Alberta before a referendum on the matter is set to take place on Monday.

Speaking at a pro-Canada rally in Calgary, Carney said the referendum will occur at "the worst time possible" considering that "the world has become more dangerous and divided."

"Some outside our borders are working to break us so they can own us," Carney added. And while he didn't mention the U.S. or President Donald Trump, he has done it in the past after the U.S. president suggested that Canada should become a state and began waging a trade war with the country.

"Don't be fooled by the idea you can 'send a message' with your vote," Carney said in another passage of his speech. This is not poker. A vote against Canada is a dangerous bluff that will lead to years of deep division and great uncertainty."

Alberta's non-binding referendum to secede from the country will take place on October 19 after a group submitted hundreds of thousands of signatures with that goal. It will be the first time in the country's history in which a province different than Quebec seeks to break from Canada.

Alberta Premier Danielle Smith she supports remaining in Canada but will hold the vote because she is "deeply troubled by an erroneous court decision that interferes with the democratic rights of hundreds of thousands of Albertans." She was making reference to the fact that a local judge had rejected a petition to that end.

However, even if the vote is passed, Alberta would not be independent automatically: there would have to be a negotiation with the federal government. And an Edmonton judge is set to rule on a challenge claiming that a separation would violate treaty rights.

The Alberta independence movement, long marginal in Canadian politics, has gained renewed visibility in recent years amid debates over energy policy and federal-provincial relations.

A separatist party also recently won an election in Quebec. However, the Parti Québécois fell short of a majority to govern on its own. "Quebecers elected the Parti Québécois asking it to work with the other parties, and I heard that message," said Paul St-Pierre Plamondon when addressing the public after the initial results.

St-Pierre Plamondon has vowed to pursue the independence referendum, calling it essential to preserve Quebec's identity and a "question of survival" for the French-speaking population. "I continue to dream and visualize that country," he said during his acceptance speech. He went on to say his idea would be maintaining close ties with Canada. "Quebec will never change its geographical position, so we have an interest in working together."