Prime Minister Mark Carney says Alberta remains a critical part of Canada’s future after Alberta Premier Danielle Smith announced plans to include a separation question in a provincial referendum scheduled for Oct. 19. According to statements made Friday on Parliament Hill, the Alberta government plans to ask voters whether the province should remain part of Canada or pursue separation through a legal process. Carney said Canada is functioning as a successful country and described Alberta as essential to the country’s continued economic and political development. He said the federal govern

China’s Foreign Minister Wang Yi is scheduled to visit Canada from May 28 to 30 in what officials describe as a step toward strengthening diplomatic and economic ties between the two countries. The visit will mark the first trip to Canada by a Chinese foreign minister in nearly a decade. Speaking at a press conference in Beijing, Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesperson Guo Jiakun said relations between China and Canada have recently improved and that both countries are working toward what he described as a “new type of strategic partnership.” According to the Chinese foreign ministry, Beij

Albertans will take part in a province-wide referendum on Oct. 19 that will ask voters to weigh in on Alberta’s future relationship with Canada, Premier Danielle Smith announced Thursday evening during a televised address. Smith said the provincial government plans to include a new “blended question” on the ballot aimed at reflecting the views of both groups advocating for Alberta to remain within Canada and those supporting greater sovereignty or separation. She said the wording was developed with input from the pro-Canada group Forever Canadian and the separatist group Stay Free Albert

Conservative Leader Pierre Poilievre says he and all Conservative MPs would campaign to keep Alberta in Canada if a referendum on separation is held in the province. Poilievre said the party would take the same position in Quebec if a Parti Québécois government were elected and moved ahead with a sovereignty referendum there. The comments come as Alberta Premier Danielle Smith is expected to deliver a televised address later today. Her United Conservative government is considering whether to include a question related to Alberta’s future within Canada in a series of referendums planned for

Alberta Premier Danielle Smith is scheduled to deliver a televised address Thursday evening amid renewed political debate over a possible referendum on Alberta’s future within Confederation. The address is set to air at 6:45 p.m. on CTV, Global and Rogers television networks and will also be livestreamed on the premier’s social media channels. The appearance follows controversy at a United Conservative Party caucus committee meeting Wednesday, where members debated a motion urging Smith to call an Oct. 19 referendum on Alberta’s place in Canada. The motion, introduced by UCP member Nate

Alberta Premier Danielle Smith announced a cabinet shuffle Thursday, with several senior ministers receiving new portfolios as the provincial government continues work related to a proposed referendum process in the province. Lieutenant Governor Salma Lakhani administered the oath of office to the newly appointed ministers during a ceremony in Edmonton. Jason Nixon was appointed Alberta’s new finance minister, while Adriana LaGrange returned to the hospitals and surgical health services portfolio. Tara Sawyer was named minister of agriculture and irrigation. Nathan Neudorf was appointed mini

Prime Minister Mark Carney and British Columbia Premier David Eby held a closed-door meeting in Vancouver on Wednesday, where both leaders discussed a new co-operation agreement aimed at accelerating development projects across the province. Following the meeting, Carney said closer collaboration between federal and provincial governments would help strengthen Canada’s economy and move major projects forward more quickly. He said governments can achieve more when they work together and added that economic growth remains a priority. Earlier in the day, the prime minister addressed a business

Several Canadian unions are raising concerns over potential changes to federal labour laws being considered by Prime Minister Mark Carney’s government, warning the move could limit workers’ right to strike. According to reports, the federal government circulated a discussion paper on April 17 seeking feedback from selected stakeholders, including representatives from the airline, port, railway, telecommunications and banking sectors. Union groups say they are concerned the government could expand the number of workplaces classified as “essential services,” a designation that can restri

A 38-year-old man from the Czech Republic has died after falling into a crevasse on the Columbia Icefield in Alberta’s Jasper National Park, according to RCMP. Police said officers were called to the Columbia Icefield area on May 12 after reports that a snowboarder had fallen into a glacier crevasse while travelling with two friends. RCMP identified the victim as a Czech national who had been living in Revelstoke, B.C. Police said recovery efforts were complicated by the remote terrain and harsh environmental conditions, delaying immediate access to the body. The Columbia Icefield is a major