Carney says Albertans chose unity and to move forward with 'purpose' and 'high ambition'
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Albertans → say → purpose
PM addresses other referendum questions, says Ottawa, provinces can work together on immigration
Prime Minister Mark Carney said he's thrilled with the results of the referendum on separation in Alberta and is looking forward to moving forward with the province in a spirit of "high ambition."
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he → address → ambition
I'm thrilled that Albertans have chosen unity," he said on his way into a cabinet meeting Tuesday morning.
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he → thrill → meeting
"They've chosen to build together.
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They → choose → ?
They've chosen to continue to take care of each other, to move forward together with purpose, high ambition."
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They → choose → purpose
Carney said he spoke with Alberta Premier Danielle Smith before meeting reporters and the two leaders first discussed their mutual, ongoing efforts to help the victims and families impacted by the tragedy at the Canada Forces base in Wainwright, Alta., this week.
"That was our first focus, and then, we turned to the referendum," Carney said.
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Carney → say → referendum
More than 75% voted to stay in Canada
The prime minister said Monday's vote delivered a result that was "absolutely clear."
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that → vote → result
The CBC News decision desk reported that 75.5 per cent of those who voted in the referendum voted in favour of Alberta remaining a province of Canada and 24.5 per cent voted to hold a referendum on separation, with 4,613 of 5,584 polls reporting.
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polls → report → separation
"It's a vast majority in favour of staying in Canada, and now is a time to work together for all Albertans and all Canadians," Carney said.
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Carney → stay → Albertans
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Alberta Premier Danielle Smith to speak after voters choose to remain in Canada
Intergovernmental Affairs Minister Dominic LeBlanc echoed those comments in Ottawa Tuesday, calling the result a "very decisive decision from Albertans for the unity of Canada."
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LeBlanc → speak → Canada
LeBlanc said his government's priority now as always is to continue to work together collaboratively with the rest of the provinces.
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priority → say → provinces
Speaking in Calgary, Conservative Leader Pierre Poilievre said Conservatives are "thrilled" Albertans decided to vote for "a stronger province within a united Canada," but said the rise of separatism remains a worry.
"
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rise → speak → separatism
I'm very concerned that after 11 years of Liberal government there's a quarter of Albertans, a third of Quebecers, that voted for a separation option in the last month," he said.
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he → be → month
In the last provincial election in Quebec just a few weeks ago, the Parti Québécois took about 28 per cent of the popular vote, while another sovereigntist party, Québec Solidaire, took 12 per cent of the vote.
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party → take → vote
The message he gleans from that, Poilievre said, is it's time to deliver results for Canadians by helping them buy a home, by working to bring down grocery prices and by passing tough on crime legislation that will keep them safe.
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that → glean → them
"We need to focus now, not on drama, not on photo-ops and announcements, we need real results, in the real lives of real people.
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we → need → people
Mr. Carney will be judged on that."
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Carney → judge → that
The prime minister said that he and Smith discussed "other priorities" facing Canadians, namely, immigration, which was the subject of one of the other nine questions on the ballot Monday night, the results of which have not been fully tabulated yet.
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results → say → which
That question asked voters in the province if they support a move to have Alberta take greater control over immigration "for the purposes of decreasing immigration to more sustainable levels, prioritizing economic migration and giving Albertans first priority on new employment opportunities.
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Alberta → ask → opportunities
While immigration is already a shared responsibility between the provinces and the federal government, Quebec has more freedom to influence eligibility requirements than do other provinces.
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provinces → share → requirements
That influence came over time and was formalized in the Canada-Quebec Accord, but some have suggested giving other provinces that power would require a constitutional amendment, a notion Carney described as a drastic approach that is not necessary.
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that → come → approach
"Constitutional change is difficult, it's long," Carney said.
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Carney → say → ?
"I believe, for example, on the issue of immigration and co-operation between the federal government and the provinces for sustainable immigration … that we can accomplish that without constitutional change."
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we → believe → change
The prime minister did not rule out the possibility of amending the Constitution but said his approach is to work with Alberta and other provinces to reach common ground.
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approach → rule → ground
If that doesn't work, the possibility of tackling the issue constitutionally, through the official amendment process, remains.
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possibility → work → process
Another proposed constitutional amendment on the ballot involved giving Alberta the right to appoint judges to the provincial King's Bench and appeal courts, but Carney said that while some in the country may think constitutional change is the only way to tackle reforms to immigration and the courts, he disagrees with that approach.
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he → propose → approach
"Let's work together, let's find common solutions now, and then, if it were to become necessary, it's a question of priorities," he said.
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he → work → priorities
Poilievre said he wants to see provinces have control in the selection and number of immigrants coming into their provinces because it is provincial governments that "have to provide the services, regulate the job market and housing" for newcomers.
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that → say → newcomers
"For the prime minister to suggest that Albertans vote in favour of continued mass, unvetted, out of control immigration was a mistake," he said.
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he → suggest → immigration
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