Mark Carney meets with ‘Forever Canadian’ campaigners in Banff

The head of the Forever Canadian group campaigning for Alberta to remain in the federation said Friday Prime Minister Mark Carney has been a “calm” and “reassuring” presence for Albertans.

Thomas Lukaszuk, a former deputy premier of Alberta, said Carney is showing “there is someone at the helm” by standing up for Canadians in trade negotiations with the White House.

Carney shook hands with volunteers from the Forever Canadian campaign on Friday in Banff, Alta. They were invited to the Banff Centre for Arts and Creativity on the final day of the federal cabinet retreat.

The prime minister was cheered by about 50 supporters of the Forever Canadian campaign, almost all holding red and white signs and some wearing the maple leaf.

The prime minister wrote “Canada is everyone and for everyone” with a black marker on the campaign’s promotional bright pink recreational vehicle, which it’s using to travel around the province.

Alberta is set to hold a referendum on Oct. 19 on whether to hold a second vote on leaving Canada.

Carney has called for national unity but has not gone out on the campaign trail to loudly make the case for Albertans to stay in Canada.

On Thursday, Carney said he sees his role primarily as delivering on his economic agenda for Alberta and Canada to further the cause of co-operative federalism.

“Canada is worth fighting for, and fighting for in this regard means showing up on the 19th or mailing in your ballot or participating in early voting,” Carney told reporters on Thursday.

Lukaszuk said he expects there will be “a stage in the campaign” when the prime minister will become “much more personally engaged.”

Lukaszuk also said he hopes to see the federal Conservatives get more involved in the campaign.

“The leader of the Official Opposition, Mr. Pierre Poilievre, says that his MPs from Alberta are behind us. You know, I keep looking in the rear-view mirror of this RV. I don’t see them,” he said.

“But I certainly hope that they get engaged because this is not a partisan issue and this is the time where all hands are on deck.”

While the federal cabinet chose to hold their meeting this week in Alberta and to meet with some of the province’s mayors, ministers did not spell out any future plans to take part in the remain campaign.