Carney Warns U.S. Is Trying to ‘Break’ Canada as Trump Revives ‘51st State’ Threat

Prime Minister Mark Carney used a Thursday rally in Calgary to press Albertans to reject independence ahead of Monday's vote on whether the province should hold a referendum on leaving Canada. Carney said forces beyond the country's borders want to divide Canadians in order to dominate them, though the prime minister stopped short of naming the United States. The warning followed Donald Trump's Arizona rally a day earlier, where the president again predicted Canada would become the 51st state, according to Time.

Ottawa and Washington remain stuck in a trade dispute after talks broke down in August, and Canadian counter-tariffs began last month. Former deputy prime minister Chrystia Freeland argued that closer economic dependence on a country openly voicing designs on Canada would be dangerous.

The Parti Québécois won Quebec's election this month, and incoming Premier Paul St-Pierre Plamondon wants an independence referendum, but not while Trump holds office. A 338Canada poll from Oct. 11 put Alberta support for staying at 75%. Lori Turnbull of Dalhousie University says Trump's rhetoric has been "unifying."

Summarized by PolitiKool from Time’s reporting. Read the full story at Time →