多伦多——在关于艾伯塔省在加拿大未来命运的全民公投几周前，总理马克·卡尼于周四试图通过将一条拟议通往太平洋海岸的输油管道指定为“国家利益项目”来加强与该省的联系，此举加快了该项目的监管审批程序。
TORONTO—Weeks before a referendum on Alberta’s future in Canada, Prime Minister Mark Carney on Thursday sought to strengthen ties with the province by designating a proposed oil pipeline to the Pacific coast a “project of national interest,” a move that speeds its regulatory approval process.
这个盛产石油的草原省份的分离主义者指出，长期以来对联邦政府能源和气候政策的不满是他们支持独立的关键原因，他们认为这些政策限制了油气产业的发展。
Separatists in the oil-rich prairie province have pointed to longstanding disaffection with the federal government’s energy and climate policies, which they say have constrained the oil-and-gas industry, as a key reason they champion independence.
该省将于10月19日投票决定是留在加拿大，还是启动第二次具有约束力的独立公投程序。
The province will vote on Oct. 19 on whether to stay in Canada or to start the process of holding a second, binding referendum on leaving.