Canadian Prime Minister Mark Carney said Friday that Alberta was "essential" to the country's future, hours after the province's leader moved the oil-rich region closer toward a referendum on independence. Earlier Premier Danielle Smith said the vote would not directly decide independence but ask voters whether they favoured constitutional changes towards a future binding referendum on leaving the federation.
Canada’s oil-rich province of Alberta will hold a referendum in October on leaving Canada, but the province’s premier said Thursday it won’t actually be a vote on whether to separate.
