TORONTO (AP) — Prime Minister Mark Carney said Friday he’s determined to build a better Canada after the leader of the country’s oil-rich province of Alberta announced a public vote on whether to move toward independence.
Alberta Premier Danielle Smith said Thursday that a vote would be held Oct. 19 on whether Alberta should stay in Canada or take legal steps under the Constitution to hold a binding referendum on leaving. That fell short of the wishes of activists who have been seeking an immediate referendum on separating from Canada.
Carney, in his first remarks since Smith’s announcement, said Albertans have made huge contributions to Canada.
“Canada is the greatest country in the world, but it can be better and we are working on making it better. We’re working with Alberta on making it better,” Carney said while touring the Parliament buildings which are under renovation.
Carney noted his government is working on getting a new oil pipeline built from Alberta to Canada’s Pacific coast. Many Albertans have long complained that Ottawa hasn’t done enough to get Alberta’s vast oil reserves to market.
Smith reiterated Thursday that she supports Alberta remaining in Canada. Some have compared her stance to the one of Britain’s then-Prime Minister David Cameron ahead of the Brexit referendum, which he embraced as a way to manage a vocal faction of his ruling party while not wanting the U.K. to leave the European Union.
A “yes” vote in a referendum would not trigger independence. Negotiations with the federal government would have to take place.
Ian Brodie, a former chief of staff to ex-Conservative Prime Minister Stephen Harper and now a political science professor at the University of Calgary, said Smith appears to be proceeding very carefully.
“A vote to see if people even want a vote. It’s a good way to let the swing voters swing against separation,” Brodie said.
Jeff Rath, the lawyer for Stay Free Alberta, the group that collected signatures to try to force a separation referendum, called the move an insult to those seeking independence. Cam Davies, leader of the pro-independence Republican Party of Alberta, agreed and called Smith’s referendum question “spineless.”
Daniel Béland, a political science professor at McGill University in Montreal, said Smith seems committed to appeasing supporters of her own party who want a referendum. Béland said a possible future referendum is likely to lose as support for separation is slightly less than 30%, but he said campaigns do matter.
Candace Laing, president and CEO of the Canadian Chamber of Commerce, criticized Smith’s decision, saying businesses across Canada, including in Alberta, need predictability to invest, create jobs, attract talent, and build major projects.
“Prolonged uncertainty around constitutional or political separation brings real risks for investor confidence, economic growth, and Canada’s global competitiveness at exactly the wrong time,” Laing said in a statement.
James Moore, a former federal Conservative Cabinet minister, also took issue.
“A referendum that will divide your party and make the province look unstable for investment, all to ultimately affirm the constitutional status quo, is an odd choice,” Moore posted on social media.
Prime Minister Mark Carney makes a statement in the Library of Parliament in Centre Block on Parliament Hill, in Ottawa, on Friday, May 22, 2026. (Justin Tang/The Canadian Press via AP)
Prime Minister Mark Carney makes a statement in the Library of Parliament in Centre Block on Parliament Hill, in Ottawa, on Friday, May 22, 2026. (Justin Tang/The Canadian Press via AP)
MANCHESTER, England (AP) — Pep Guardiola confirmed Friday what Manchester City fans had been fearing. The club’s most successful manager is leaving, bringing to a close a trophy-laden, 10-year spell in which he established City as one of major forces in Europe and changed the face of English soccer.
Guardiola, who had a further year left on his City contract, will take charge of his final game against Aston Villa in the Premier League on Sunday.
“Don’t ask me the reasons I’m leaving. There is no reason, but deep inside, I know it’s my time,” he said
City said Guardiola would take up a role as global ambassador.
Enzo Maresca — the former Chelsea manager who was previously assistant to Guardiola at City — is the favorite to take on the daunting task of filling the Catalan's shoes after a decade of unprecedented dominance.
Since joining City in the summer of 2016, Guardiola led the Abu Dhabi-backed team to six Premier League titles and the Champions League for the first time in 2023.
He won 17 major trophies in all, including a domestic double this season of the English League Cup and the FA Cup. He has won 35 major titles across his coaching career including his time at Barcelona and Bayern Munich.
City was far his longest job in management, having never previously stayed more than four years in a role.
“I will not train for a while,” Guardiola said. “I feel I would not have the energy that is required to daily … with the expectations to fight for the titles.”
Guardiola set new benchmarks, with City becoming the first team to win four-straight English league titles and the first to amass 100 points in a single season in 2018. The following year City became the first team to win the domestic treble of the league, FA Cup and League Cup in the same season.
But his biggest achievement was leading City to the ultimate treble in 2023, winning the league, Champions League and FA Cup — matching Manchester United’s feat from more than 20 years earlier in 1999.
He also brought to England a style of soccer — a possession-based approach that started with playing the ball out from the goalkeeper or defense — that ended up being mimicked across the country, from kids’ teams at grassroots level to rival teams in the Premier League.
“The unique approach that he brings to his coaching has allowed him to constantly challenge the accepted truths of our game. It is the reason that in the last 10 years he has not only made Manchester City better — he has also made football better,” City chairman Khaldoon Al Mubarak said. He added that it was the “right answer” for Guardiola to walk away now.
While he goes out on another trophy-winning campaign, this was the first time in his career that he has gone two seasons without being crowned league champion.
City was also eliminated from the Champions League before the quarterfinal stage in each of the last two years.
City said Guardiola's new role would see him give technical advice to clubs in its ownership group.
“Pep’s legacy is extraordinary and its true impact will be better assessed by Manchester City historians of the future,” said chief executive Ferran Sorriano. “If there is something more difficult than winning, it is winning again. It requires incredible persistence, resilience and the humility to start again every year, with the same energy, again and again. This is what Pep did.”
While Guardiola will go down as one of the greatest managers in Premier League history — rivaling Alex Ferguson — he repeatedly had to defend City against allegations of financial breaches, with more than 100 charges still hanging over the club.
City was accused of providing misleading information about its finances over a nine-year period from 2009-18 — a span in which it won three titles and signed some of the world’s best players, like Yaya Toure, Sergio Aguero and Kevin de Bruyne. One of those titles was won under Guardiola.
City has always denied wrongdoing. Guardiola said he “fully convinced” the club was innocent.
“We worked. We suffered. We fought. And we did things our own way. Our way,” said Guardiola in his farewell message to fans.
AP soccer: https://apnews.com/hub/soccer
Manchester City's head coach Pep Guardiola leaves the field at the end of the English Premier League soccer match between AFC Bournemouth and Manchester City in Bournemouth, England, Tuesday, May 19, 2026. (AP Photo/Ian Walton)
FILE - Then Chelsea's head coach Enzo Maresca reacts during the Champions League opening phase soccer match between Atalanta and Chelsea, in Bergamo, Italy, Dec. 9, 2025. (AP Photo/Antonio Calanni, File)
Manchester City's head coach Pep Guardiola greets fans before the English FA Cup final soccer match between Chelsea and Manchester City in London, Saturday, May 16, 2026. (AP Photo/Richard Pelham)
Manchester City's head coach Pep Guardiola greets fans at the end of the English Premier League soccer match between Manchester City and Crystal Palace in Manchester, England, Wednesday, May 13, 2026. (AP Photo/Ian Hodgson)
FILE - Manchester City's head coach Pep Guardiola greets fans at the end of the English Premier League soccer match between Manchester City and Brentford in Manchester, Saturday, May 9, 2026. (AP Photo/Dave Thompson, File)
