THE CANADIAN PRESS/Sean Kilpatrick
Former deputy prime minister Chrystia Freeland says Canada must do everything it can to diversify trade away from the United States.
She told an audience in New York that it matters for national security, saying it's dangerous to deepen or maintain a close economic relationship with a partner that openly wants to "take you over."
U.S. President Donald Trump has repeatedly mused about turning Canada into the 51st state and, while he ruled out using military force to annex the country, has said he would consider "economic force."
Even if the U.S. had a president who believed in free trade with Canada, Freeland said relying on any one partner is not a great idea.
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Prime Minister Mark Carney attends a Forever Canadian rally in Calgary, Thursday, Oct. 15, 2026.
THE CANADIAN PRESS/Jeff McIntosh
Carney to bring his pro-Canada campaign to Edmonton with referendum just days away
Prime Minister Mark Carney continues his pro-Canada campaign in Alberta as the clock ticks down to a referendum on Monday on whether the province should break up with Confederation.
He is set to visit Red Deer with Premier Danielle Smith today and later rally in Edmonton with the federalist group Forever Canadian.
Carney spoke Thursday at one of the group's rallies in Calgary, telling the crowd of roughly 5,000 that a vote against Canada is a dangerous bluff that could lead to years of lost opportunities.
Meanwhile, Smith and federal Conservative Leader Pierre Poilievre will both speak at a conference in Calgary about keeping Alberta in the Confederation fold.
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Quebec sovereignty referendum "Yes" supporters cheer during a speech by then-Bloc Québécois leader Lucien Bouchard at a junior college, in Montreal, on Tuesday, Oct. 24, 1995.
THE CANADIAN PRESS/Ryan Remiorz
Quebec sovereigntists see fundamental rift with Alberta separatists
With just days before Alberta’s vote on an independence referendum, longtime Quebec sovereigntists are distancing themselves from the western province's separatists.
Question 10 on Monday’s referendum ballot asks whether Alberta should remain in Canada or if the government should start the legal process to hold a subsequent, binding referendum on separation.
Quebecers may have a sense of déjà vu after voting on similar questions in 1980 and 1995, both times being defeated by a "No" side, but ardent sovereigntists see profound differences in the two movements.
Marie-Anne Alepin, from the Société St-Jean-Baptiste de Montréal, believes Alberta is using the threat of separatism as leverage in negotiations with Ottawa and the referendum as a means of pressure rather than a genuine desire to form a country.
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The Stellantis vehicle assembly plant is shown in Brampton, Ont., on Wednesday, Oct. 15, 2025.
THE CANADIAN PRESS/Nathan Denette
Stellantis workers set to vote on potential strike action this weekend
Stellantis workers in Canada will vote this weekend on whether to authorize a strike, as their union says contract talks with the automaker have stalled.
Unifor, which represents more than nine-thousand Stellantis workers, is holding strike votes Saturday and Sunday, but says authorization does not automatically mean a strike will happen.
The union says a strike mandate would give its bargaining committee leverage to reach a negotiated agreement, calling strike action a last resort.
Key sticking points include job security and the future of the Brampton, Ont., assembly plant, which Stellantis intends to sell to defence contractor Roshel.
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The Canadian Forces Snowbirds perform at the Aero Gatineau-Ottawa air show in Gatineau, Que., on Saturday, Sept. 19, 2026.
THE CANADIAN PRESS/Patrick Doyle
'Goodbye to a good friend': Snowbirds' final show to be livestreamed today
The Royal Canadian Air Force's Snowbirds perform their final air show with their Tutor jets in Moose Jaw, Sask., today, before the iconic aircraft are retired for good.
The annual season home closing show is set to be livestreamed online, though there will be one more chance to see the CT-114 Tutors in action before they are sent to Trenton, Ont., for disposal.
The Snowbirds are scheduled to perform a flyover at the Grey Cup game in Calgary on Nov. 15.
The aging Tutor jets are being retired and the Snowbirds will go on hiatus until the team can be trained on the replacement Pilatus aircraft, the CT-157 Siskin.
Captain Philip Rochon, the public affairs officer for the team, says it's a bittersweet time as the pilots say goodbye to the planes the Snowbirds have flown for nearly six decades.
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This report by The Canadian Press was first published Oct. 16, 2026.
Copyright 2026, The Canadian Press. All rights reserved.
THE CANADIAN PRESS/Jeff McIntosh
1980 — The federal government ignites widespread alienation in Alberta with the National Energy Program, which keeps domestic oil prices below world levels to promote Canadian energy security and increase the federal share of oil revenues. Alberta views it as an unjustified attack and a federal money grab. The issue is later settled, but discontent with Ottawa continues.
1982 — Separatism enjoys a brief heyday. Gordon Kesler of the Western Canada Concept Party wins a provincial byelection in central Alberta on a separatist platform. Later that year in the general election, he loses a spot in the legislature. The party receives 12 per cent of the vote but no seats.
2019 — The anti-Ottawa mood ramps up as the United Conservative Party under Jason Kenney wins power in Alberta, capitalizing on discontent over federal rules and policies deemed to impair Alberta’s ability to create wealth, particularly in oil and gas. Premier Kenney fights for more independence from Ottawa but remains a staunch advocate for the province staying in Confederation.
2022-23 — Kenney is replaced by Danielle Smith, who wins government in the 2023 election on a platform of further asserting independence from Ottawa. Unlike Kenney, Premier Smith, while stressing her preference for a “sovereign Alberta within a united Canada,” refuses to characterize separatists as fringe extremists, saying they have valid grievances that deserve to be aired.
April 28, 2025 — Mark Carney and the Liberals defeat the federal Conservatives to win a minority government.
May 5, 2025 — Smith announces a panel to discuss Alberta's future in Canada. She says her government won't itself put separation on a ballot but would honour a successful citizen petition seeking such a vote. At the same time, her government takes steps to eventually pass rules to lower thresholds for citizen-led petitions.
June 2025 — Former Alberta Progressive Conservative deputy premier Thomas Lukaszuk launches a “Forever Canadian” petition to affirm the province stays in Canada. It eventually collects more than 400,000 names — enough to validate the petition. But by the spring of 2026, the petition is tied up in a legislature committee as Smith questions whether Lukaszuk gathered the names for a referendum or as a trigger for a vote among legislature members.
Former Deputy Premier, MLA and spokesperson for the Forever Canada petition, Thomas Lukaszuk, at a Forever Canadian rally, in Edmonton, Saturday, May 23, 2026.
THE CANADIAN PRESS/Amanda Erickson.
January 2026 — Mitch Sylvestre of the separatist Alberta Prosperity Project is given the green light by election officials to launch a petition asking whether Alberta should leave Canada. Months later, the petition is deemed successful, having gathered about 223,000 signatures.
Feb. 19, 2026 — Smith announces nine referendum questions about immigration and constitutional concerns will be put to Albertans in an Oct. 19 referendum.
May 13, 2026 — An Alberta Court of King's Bench judge quashes the separatist petition, ruling Smith’s government didn't properly consult First Nations as required in the Constitution. Smith later promises to challenge the ruling, and it remains in legal limbo.
Mitch Sylvestre hold boxes of signatures before submitting signatures for a separation referendum to Elections Alberta in Edmonton, on Monday, May 4, 2026.
THE CANADIAN PRESS/Jason Franson
May 21, 2026 — Smith announces a 10th referendum question asking whether Alberta should stay in Canada or hold a binding vote on separation. Smith cites the legal uncertainty of the court decision on the separatist petition as the driving force, saying it unduly deprives thousands of Albertans of having a say. Smith later cites Lukaszuk's petition, too, as a reason. She says both show hundreds of thousands of Albertans want the issue decided.
Sept. 10, 2026 — The Alberta government launches a $4-million advertising campaign for the referendum and urges citizens to vote to stay in Canada. The move comes as polls suggest a broad majority of Albertans want to stay.
Sept. 14, 2026 — Smith's UCP loses a byelection to the Opposition NDP in their conservative stronghold of Calgary-Shaw. Critics across the political spectrum say the referendum was a factor in punishing Smith’s UCP. Her office says the party lost due to right-centre vote splitting.
Sept. 16, 2026 — Smith's government publishes a report it commissioned from the University of Calgary to determine what fiscal challenges and benefits an independent Alberta could see. It estimates an initial five-year price tag of $50 billion to $170 billion, noting that figures could swing sharply depending on factors outside Alberta's control.
This report by The Canadian Press was first published Oct. 16, 2026.
Copyright 2026, The Canadian Press. All rights reserved.