罗布·吉利斯 多伦多 — — 加拿大总理马克·卡尼周一敦促阿尔伯塔省留在加拿大，警告称下周关于是否举行脱离加拿大公投的投票将在该国面临危险时期时开启一个“漫长且不确定的进程”。
ROB GILLIES TORONTO — Canadian Prime Minister Mark Carney on Monday urged Alberta to remain in Canada, warning that a vote next week on whether to hold a referendum on leaving Canada would begin a “long and uncertain process” at a dangerous time for the country.
“今年，感恩节有所不同，”卡尼在向加拿大人的节日致辞中表示。“从今天起一周后，阿尔伯塔人将有机会就他们的未来作出重要决定，即是否继续作为加拿大的一部分，或是通过一个可能使阿尔伯塔脱离加拿大的漫长且不确定的进程。”加拿大在10月庆祝感恩节，而美国则是在11月下旬。
“This year, Thanksgiving is a bit different,” Carney said in a holiday message to Canadians. “A week from today, Albertans will have the opportunity to make an important decision about their future, whether to remain part of Canada or begin a long and uncertain process through which Alberta could separate from Canada.”Canada celebrates Thanksgiving in October, unlike the U.S., where it falls in late November.
10月19日的投票询问阿尔伯塔人该省是应继续留在加拿大，还是应启动举行脱离公投的进程。
The Oct. 19 vote asks Albertans whether the province should remain in Canada or begin the process of holding a referendum on separation.
阿尔伯塔的独立运动在多年组织后有所壮大。一些领袖源自2022年的“自由车队”，该车队起初是针对跨境卡车司机新冠疫苗强制令的抗议，随后演变为数周的抗议活动，反对疫情限制措施以及时任总理贾斯廷·特鲁多的自由党政府。
Alberta’s independence movement has grown after years of organizing. Some of its leaders emerged from the 2022 “Freedom Convoy,” which began as a protest against the COVID-19 vaccine mandate for cross-border truckers and grew into weeks of demonstrations against pandemic restrictions and then-Prime Minister Justin Trudeau’s Liberal government.
此次投票正值美国总统唐纳德·特朗普的贸易战及其对加拿大主权的威胁严重紧张了这两个长期盟友之间的关系。特朗普多次谈及将加拿大变为美国第51个州的想法。
The vote comes as U.S. President Donald Trump’s trade war and threats to Canada’s sovereignty have badly strained relations between the longtime allies. Trump has repeatedly talked about making Canada the 51st U.S. state.
阿尔伯塔省省长丹妮尔·史密斯，她发起了此次投票，支持留在加拿大。她表示，最近的民调显示支持脱离的比例约为22%，她称这一水平“对我而言仍然太高”。独立运动领袖基思·威尔逊敦促阿尔伯塔人支持走向脱离公投的道路，认为该省需要“杠杆和持久的变革”来应对与渥太华的事务。“当渥太华再次对阿尔伯塔不利时，什么能保护我们？”他在社交媒体上写道。
Alberta Premier Danielle Smith, who called the vote, supports remaining in Canada. She has said recent polling put support for separation at roughly 22%, a level she called “still too high for my liking.”Keith Wilson, a leader of the independence movement, urged Albertans to back a path toward a separation referendum, arguing the province needs “leverage and lasting change” in its dealings with Ottawa. “What protects us when Ottawa turns against Alberta again?” he wrote on social media.
卡尼在埃德蒙顿长大，他指出，来自石油丰富的阿尔伯塔省的西海岸输油管道项目是该省在加拿大境内能够实现的一个例子。该项目旨在开拓新市场，帮助加拿大将石油出口多元化，超越美国。
Carney, who grew up in Edmonton, pointed to a proposed West Coast pipeline from oil-rich Alberta as an example of what the province can achieve within Canada. The project is intended to open new markets and help Canada diversify its oil exports beyond the United States.
他还提到了新住房和高速铁路，以此论证加拿大正在重新建设大型项目，而分裂会使这变得更困难。
He also cited new housing and high-speed rail as he argued that Canada is building major projects again and that division would make that harder.
“加拿大正在运作，”卡尼说。“事实是，如果我们分裂，就无法实现这些目标。你不能在断层线上建设大型项目。”
“Canada is working,” Carney said. “Truth is, we can’t achieve any of this if we’re divided. You can’t build big things on fault lines.”
卡尼表示，加拿大面临“对我们经济、安全和生活方式的真实威胁”，并补充说：“我们必须保持强大，而团结使我们更强大。”
Carney said Canada faces “real threats to our economy, to our security, to our way of life,” adding: “We have to be strong and we are stronger together.”
“几代阿尔伯塔人帮助建设了这个国家，”卡尼说。“它属于你们。它属于我们。而且值得为之奋斗。”即使在未来的公投中支持分离，也不会自动使阿尔伯塔独立。1998年最高法院的一项裁决认为，省份不能单方面脱离，必须与联邦政府进行谈判。
“Generations of Albertans helped build this country,” Carney said. “It’s yours. It’s ours. And it’s worth fighting for.”Even a vote for separation in a future referendum would not automatically make Alberta independent. A 1998 Supreme Court ruling found that provinces cannot secede unilaterally and negotiations with the federal government would have to follow.