Canadian Prime Minister compared Alberta's 'dangerous' separatist referendum to Brexit

(Patria) - Canadian Prime Minister Mark Carney compared Alberta's plans to consider separating from Canada to Brexit, calling it "dangerous" and suggesting people may not appreciate the consequences of their vote, AFP reports.

Carney was Governor of the Bank of England in 2016 when the United Kingdom voted to leave the European Union and led the central bank as the country navigated the complex process of exiting the bloc.

He said Britons were not informed of all the consequences of their vote.

"I saw firsthand what happened in the UK when the view was, vote for this, it will be soft, and then we will negotiate," Carney told reporters in Ottawa.

"They are still, ten years later, trying to undo what people did not think they were voting for, but what they ended up getting."

Separatists in Canada's oil-rich province of Alberta say they have collected more than 300,000 signatures, enough under Alberta law to hold a referendum on leaving Canada.

However, an Alberta judge halted the process, saying the citizen initiative was invalid because separatists had not consulted with Indigenous groups whose rights could be affected if the province seceded from Canada.

Alberta's conservative premier, Danielle Smith, called the judge's decision "wrong" and said she would proceed with her ballot question, framing it so as not to violate the ruling.

In October, Smith said she planned to ask Albertans if they wanted her government to "initiate the legal process required to hold a binding referendum" on independence, while emphasizing that she personally supported the province remaining in Canada.

Asked about the question Premier Smith wants on the ballot on Monday, Carney recalled Brexit and offered an "observation from experience".

"In these separation questions, it is often pointed out that - vote for this and it is a free option, vote for this and we will strengthen our position in future negotiations. That is a very dangerous bluff," he said.

Polls show about thirty percent of Alberta's five million residents support independence, a record high.

The separatist camp accuses Ottawa of stifling Alberta's oil industry through excessive state influence while blocking investment due to what they consider unreasonable environmental concerns.

Even if separatists lose a potential referendum, leaders on both sides say the process will permanently change Canadian politics.