Ford joins Smith in Calgary, urges Albertans to vote against separation Oct. 19

Ontario Premier Doug Ford stood alongside Alberta Premier Danielle Smith at a Calgary industry conference Monday, telling the audience Albertans should remain in Canada. "United we stand, divided we fall," Ford said, adding he loves Albertans and Canadians need to stick together. He and Smith were discussing energy policy and the economy when asked about the political impact of separatist debates in Alberta and Quebec.

Smith said Alberta's anger toward Ottawa has built for more than a decade over federal policies she says restricted oil and gas development, though she credited Prime Minister Mark Carney's government with being more flexible. She said hundreds of thousands of Albertans have signed petitions both for and against unity, prompting her to call the Oct. 19 referendum, which asks whether Alberta should stay in Canada or hold a second, binding vote on leaving. Smith said she plans to vote to remain and hopes the issue is resolved. The Opposition NDP has said the referendum is more about managing divisions within Smith's United Conservative Party than about unity, while separatist leaders say the question only decides whether to hold another vote and have vowed to keep pushing regardless of the result.

Separately in Calgary, former UK prime minister David Cameron said Brexit isn't comparable to Alberta's situation, calling it a question about a country's future rather than a trade relationship. Cameron, who oversaw the 2016 Brexit vote and Scotland's 2014 independence referendum, said Scotland's vote didn't end separatist sentiment there and stressed that any referendum should ask one simple question. Alberta's referendum, by contrast, includes 10 questions, and Smith's government has faced criticism over the complicated wording of the separation question.