'Vote like Canada depends on it,' Carney says at Calgary rally ahead of Alberta referendum

'Vote like Canada depends on it,' Carney says at Calgary rally ahead of Alberta referendum

FULL SPEECH | Carney attends Forever Canadian rally in Calgary

We're wrapping up our live coverage of the rally.

All five speakers at the podium tonight spoke about the importance of Canadian newcomers and their contributions to the country.

Throughout his speech, Prime Minister Mark Carney emphasized the necessity of a united Canada, and the contributions Alberta has made to the nation throughout its history.

He also highlighted Alberta's place as "the heart" of nation-building energy projects, and its key role in helping the country reduce its dependence on the U.S. as a trading partner.

Carney will make a campaign stop with Alberta Premier Danielle Smith on Friday morning at a brewery in Red Deer, before heading to Edmonton for another Forever Canadian rally.

Other rallies on both sides of the separation debate are planned throughout the weekend, as Albertans prepare to head to the polls on Monday.

Catch up on all of our referendum coverage here, and find out how to follow our live reporting on referendum night here.

As the crowd filed out after Carney's speech, Nick and Trish Tannahill remained seated in front of Lukaszuk's RV, which had been parked beside the stage. The couple moved to Canada in the 1970s to escape apartheid South Africa.

As an immigrant, Trish said she'd been brought almost to tears a few times when the speakers mentioned welcoming newcomers.

"We came here to be Canadian," she said.

The couple had come tonight because they wanted to do their part to show support for the country.

"We wanted to make sure that there was a big crowd that the rest of the country would see," Nick said.

Carney's speech didn't touch on the other nine referendum questions, after making a splash with his "No to the Nine" message in media interviews and a public event earlier Thursday.

If he said it, it may have landed well with this partisan crowd, but created tension with Premier Danielle Smith, who’s been pushing for those ballot measures to prevail and strengthen her hand in federal wrangles.

The prime minister will appear with the premier Friday morning at an event in Red Deer.

Carney says Calgary at the heart of building Canada

Prime Minister Mark Carney spoke to all the funding coming through the Major Projects Office in Calgary, and how it will allow Canada to become less reliant on the Unites States.

The crowd cheered moderately when Carney said he was building the Pacific Link pipeline.

And a bit more when he said it would create 140,000 jobs.

But they absolutely roared when the prime minister said the pipeline would reduce dependence on the United States.

"Careful: they might think that’s election interference," Carney quipped, a nod to a recent warning from U.S. Ambassador Pete Hoekstra about Canadian rhetoric verging on politicking during the U.S. midterms.

Sharing his own experiences growing up in Alberta, Carney said he identifies with many of the frustrations some have voiced over the province's energy relationship with Ottawa.

"Growing up, I remember how Ottawa made Albertans feel like our resources weren't our own," he said.

The Pacific Link pipeline — designated earlier this month as a project of national interest — is a "nation-building" project, he said, with Alberta "at the heart of it."

Carney speaks about the First Nations that are part of Alberta and the signing of Treaty 7.

CBC News has heard from Indigenous people in Alberta, with many saying the looming threat of separation has them feeling under attack.

Carney acknowledged this, saying the promises between Canada and Indigenous people have "been broken many times."

"Because when something is not right, when it isn't fair, we don't hide from it, we don't walk away from it, we fix it. We fix it together and [we are] stronger for it. That is Alberta. That is Canada."

There appears to be a medical emergency in the crowd, and Carney pauses his remarks as police officers wade in.

The crowd starts chanting Carney's name, which he pretends to hear as "Canada" and redirects them. Someone yells a question about Nico. Carney says he's home alone and has put on weight. Then clarifies that Nico is his cat.

He then says that the person has received assistance and gets back to speech-ing.

Big smiles, waving flags and cellphones held high for photos as Carney takes the stage. The crowd is on their feet, many draped in flags.

This has been a jovial crowd so far, but there are loud boos when he mentions those outside our borders who would "break" us.

He directly addresses those who would vote to go ahead with a referendum to send a message to Ottawa, something we've all come to know as soft separatism.

"This is not poker," he says. "Our country and your futures are too precious to play games."

Carney is now delivering his speech, making a strong personal appeal for a united Canada, saying the referendum isn't a game of poker.

"A vote against Canada is a dangerous bluff that will lead to years of deep uncertainty and lost opportunities for Albertans and for Canadians," the prime minister says to cheers from the crowd.

All four people at the podium so far have spoken about the importance of Canadian newcomers and their contributions. They also spoke of their own family's immigration stories, or in Lukaszuk's case, his own.

Part of that is playing to Canada's self-image as a mosaic that's welcoming to immigrants. The other part is a subtle message on the referendum's five immigration questions.

It's worth noting, though, that only Mayor Jeromy Farkas gave a shoutout to voting "No to the Nine" other questions on Alberta's ballots