YUKON DO ONE
The vibes are very different north of the border.
Donald Trump’s rival north of the border has openly trolled him during a major speech.
Canadian Prime Minister Mark Carney delivered the speech to Albertans ahead of a referendum on the province’s independence next week, where he fired off some shots at Trump. The crowd lapped it up.
He said the proposed 780-mile Pacific Link Pipeline from Alberta to British Columbia “will create more than 140,000 jobs. It will reduce our dependence on the United States.” At this point, the crowd went wild.
The 5,000-strong gathering took some calming down, as Carney tried repeatedly to continue his point but was drowned out.
“Careful, they might think that’s election interference,” he joked. “I’m saying. They’re a little touchy down there at the moment. We’re not. We’re getting on with it. We are getting on with it. We are getting on with it.”
The crowd loved that too. Washington, D.C., may not have. The U.S. and Canada have been locked in a trade war since they failed to reach an agreement after Trump’s far-reaching tariffs. Trump has also repeatedly spoken about making Canada the 51st state.
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Carney was referring to U.S. Ambassador Pete Hoekstra’s warning to Canada not to interfere with the U.S. midterm elections on Nov. 3.
He said American officials would be “closely watching” Canadian politicians for signs of interference.
Hoekstra was on The Really Big Show podcast, where he discussed actions taken by Industry Minister Mélanie Joly and former prime minister Justin Trudeau. He claimed they could amount to interference and warned them to keep their “nose out” of U.S. politics.
Trump is still hot on the one country spiel, telling a rally in Bullhead City, Arizona, on Wednesday: “They’ll end up being the 51st state because that’s the only way it works.”
It comes as Carney tries to win over voters ahead of next week’s referendum on Albertan independence.
The oil-rich province heads to the voting booth on Monday to decide whether to hold a referendum on leaving.
Polls suggest that the unity vote is ahead, and Carney has been campaigning for the pro-Canada vote. The result is not a done deal, however, with the unity vote warning that overconfidence could be its downfall.
“At this pivotal moment, Albertans have a choice: to build a stronger Alberta and a greater Canada to leave for our children. Or to burden them with years of deep division and great uncertainty,” Carney said at a rally in Calgary on Thursday.
Alberta Premier Danielle Smith called the referendum, and Carney is no fan of the timing.
“This referendum comes at the worst possible time,” Carney said. “The world has become more dangerous and divided. Some outside our borders are working to break us so they can own us.”
