Sask., Alberta premiers reject Elon Musk's call for provinces to separate from Canada

Sask., Alberta premiers reject Elon Musk's call for provinces to separate from Canada

Musk suggested Alberta and Saskatchewan would be better off separating from Canada

The premiers of Alberta and Saskatchewan have rejected a suggestion by one of the world's richest men that the two provinces should separate from Canada.

Elon Musk, a trillionaire tech businessman who was formerly an advisor to U.S. President Donald Trump, weighed in on his social media platform Twitter, now known as X.

On Wednesday, Musk said Quebec would benefit from independence, as would Alberta and Saskatchewan.

The tech tycoon was responding to a quote from Quebec premier-designate Paul St-Pierre Plamondon, who said the province's independence "will be realized one day."

On that same day Premier Scott Moe offered a short, one-word response to Musk in his own social media post: "No."

Moe was not available for an interview on Thursday and his office said he had nothing more to add to the post.

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According to the Canadian Press, Alberta Premier Danielle Smith said she also strongly disagrees with Musk's opinion.

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Prime Minister Mark Carney was asked about Musk's comments Thursday while speaking in Quebec.

Carney said the future of Canada will be decided by Canadians, the priorities of Canadians and the people of Quebec.

"A strong Canada means more independent, more sovereign, more prosperous," Carney said, adding that Canada will be "free from foreign interference of foreign governments and large tech firms that think they can tell us what to do."

The state of play in each province

On Oct. 19, Albertans will head to the polls to decide if the province should stay in Canada or whether there should be a second binding referendum on separation.

Smith has said she plans to vote to stay in Canada in the upcoming provincial referendum.

Moe believes Saskatchewan is stronger within a united Canada, but has previously said he would not stop a plebiscite if Saskatchewanians were able to secure enough signatures to trigger a referendum.

Moe has also enjoyed a much better relationship with Prime Minister Mark Carney than with his predecessor Justin Trudeau.

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Moe has at various times refused to say Trudeau's name even after his departure from federal politics.

In Quebec, the sovereigntist Parti Québécois is back in power after a securing enough seats to form a minority government in Monday's provincial election.

Soon-to-be premier Paul St-Pierre Plamondon has vowed to hold a referendum.

Alexander Quon is the provincial affairs reporter for CBC Saskatchewan. He has been a reporter with CBC Saskatchewan since 2021 and is happy to be working in his hometown of Regina after half a decade in Atlantic Canada. He has previously worked with the CBC News investigative unit in Nova Scotia and Global News in Halifax. Alexander specializes in freedom of information requests and data reporting. He can be reached at: alexander.quon@cbc.ca.

With files from The Canadian Press