Carney reaches out to pro-Canada referendum campaigners in Banff

Prime Minister Mark Carney met with pro-Canada volunteers in Banff, Alberta, amid criticism that he's not doing enough to boost anti-separatist forces in the province. According to Calgary Mayor Jeromy Farkas, who attended one of the private meetings, Ottawa is taking a smart approach to the question of Alberta's potential separation by being consistently present in the province.

Farkas also noted that separating would put Alberta on track to become the 51st state, making it more difficult to deal with an "overbearing" Washington.

The meetings in Banff come as the province prepares to hold a referendum on leaving Canada in October. The two-day retreat also coincides with an ongoing trade war between the US and Canada, with US President Donald Trump moving to ban some Canadian imports, including alcohol and some dairy products.

Carney described Trump's latest move as "relatively modest" compared to other trade actions Washington has taken against Canada. At the cabinet planning forum, Carney urged people to support the pro-Canada side but wouldn't commit to injecting federal money into it.

Brief written by urgent.news from Calgary Herald, Global News, CityNews — 3 reports on this story. Machine-written — may contain errors; check the original before relying on it.