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

Thomas Lukaszuk says Carney is showing “there is someone at the helm” by standing up for Canadians in trade negotiations with the White House — and that’s helping to steer the referendum vote in “the right direction.”

Carney shook hands with volunteers from the Forever Canadian campaign on Friday in Banff, Alta., on the final day of his cabinet retreat, before the crowd broke out into a rendition of O Canada.

The prime minister wrote “Canada is everyone and for everyone” on the campaign’s bright pink recreational vehicle with a black marker.

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

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

This report by The Canadian Press was first published Sept. 11, 2026.

Kyle Duggan and Bill Graveland, The Canadian Press