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Calls for Albertan separatism are getting louder: Should Carney be worried?
King Charles III’s speech on Tuesday from the throne in Ottawa was like a family reunion for Canadian politicians.
Former Prime Minister Stephen Harper was there, joking around with his old opponent Justin Trudeau, who, playing to type, wore an inappropriate pair of running shoes. Justin’s mother, Margaret Trudeau, who has known the king for 50 years, embraced the monarch.
But one important person wasn’t there: Danielle Smith, premier of Alberta. Smith, who made a pilgrimage to Mar-a-Lago in January and skipped the last gathering of Canadian premiers in Ottawa, has shown mixed feelings about the Canadian federation.
As the king’s plane was en route back to London, Smith called on Carney to respond to a series of demands meant to boost Alberta’s energy industry: build a new oil pipeline, loosen emissions and regulatory rules, scrap a tanker ban, and drop net-zero electricity requirements.
“Albertans need to see meaningful action within weeks — not months,” she threatened.
The unstated threat is Smith’s plan for a referendum that could theoretically allow Alberta to separate, after which it could, in theory, join the United States.
Smith, whose political ideology veers toward libertarianism, warned during the recent election that if easterners replaced Trudeau with Carney, it could produce an “unprecedented national unity crisis.” The day after Carney won, she presented a bill that will make it possible for Alberta to hold an independence referendum, likely next year.
The best local polling suggests that if a referendum were held today, it would fail, with only 28% of Albertans saying they’d vote to separate, compared to 67% who’d want to stay.
Numbers often change during a campaign, though, and uncertainty about the province’s future is already damaging the investment climate, so Carney faces pressure to bring Smith onside. Even his ally, Conservative Ontario Premier Doug Ford, says it’s time to show her some love.
Carney will have an opportunity to do just that when he flies to neighboring Saskatchewan to meet with Smith and the other premiers on Monday.
Carney pledged, via the king’s speech, to speed regulatory approvals so Canada can become the “world’s leading energy superpower in both clean and conventional energy.” And executives in the oil patch were cheered by a boosterish speech from his natural resources minister, Tim Hodgson. They hope that Carney and Hodgson will help them find ways to get their petroleum to foreign markets, rather than selling it at a discount to the United States.
But it is unlikely that he can deliver on Smith’s demands. British Columbians and Quebecers are both apt to resist new pipelines across their provinces, and if he removes the emissions cap, Carney risks losing support among voters worried about climate change.
Even if he does make some concessions to Alberta, chances are he won’t take the steam out of the separatist movement entirely. Smith needs to keep the separatists in her corner, rather than risk losing those voters to the province’s upstart Republican Party. That means a referendum is all but certain to go ahead.
Like former UK Prime Minister David Cameron before the Brexit referendum, Smith is trying to buy herself some time. And even Albertans who don’t want to secede still hope the threat will improve her negotiating position with Carney.
The wild card in the mix is Donald Trump, who is widely admired among the Albertan separatists and who regularly says Canada should agree to be annexed.
Could Alberta’s secessionist movement provide an opening for Trump to stir up trouble? He must know the province sits atop the world’s fourth-largest oil reserve. Does Trump look at Alberta the way Vladimir Putin once looked at the Donbas?
The stakes are high and the pressure is on Carney. He has been a successful banker, business executive, and campaigner. After his trip to Saskatchewan, Canadians might get a sense of whether he can master the difficult regional-power politics necessary to be a successful prime minister.
King Charles III and Queen Camilla arrive to attend a Sunday church service at St Mary Magdalene Church in Sandringham, Norfolk.
King Charles undergoes cancer treatment
On Monday, King Charles III revealed he is battling cancer and will step back from public duties while undergoing treatment. The palace has not disclosed the type of cancer.
Charles became king in September 2022 following the death of his mother Queen Elizabeth II, who ruled for seven decades.
Breaking tradition: The royals are famously discreet when it comes to health matters. Charles’ grandfather George VI had his lung removed for supposed “structural abnormalities” that were actually carcinoma. George’s doctors withheld his diagnosis from the public and even the king himself.
In contrast, Charles has been open about his surgery for an enlarged prostate – which reportedly encouraged more Brits to seek checkups – and divulged his cancer treatment “to prevent speculation and in the hope it may assist public understanding for all those around the world who are affected by cancer.”
His eldest son and heir, William, has said he is resuming his public engagements – following his wife’s recent abdominal surgery – while his father is in treatment. Meanwhile, his estranged son, Harry, is returning to the UK to be with his father.
10 images that captured 2023
With 2023 in our rearview mirror, here are some of the images that defined the tumultuous year: from Fulton County, Georgia to Gaza City,
Feb. 5: Spy Balloon Downed

Credit: Sipa USA via Reuters
Sailors assigned to Explosive Ordnance Disposal Group 2 recover a Chinese high-altitude surveillance balloon off the coast of Myrtle Beach, South Carolina, Feb. 5, 2023.
Feb. 10: Earthquake shakes Turkey and Syria

Credit: Umit Bektas/Reuters
An aerial view shows damaged and collapsed buildings in the aftermath of a deadly earthquake in Hatay, Turkey February 10, 2023.
March 23: France protests pension changes

Credit: Alain Pitton/NurPhoto via Reuters
Riot policemen stands amid clouds of tear gas as more than 70,000 people protest in Toulouse against French President Emmanuel Macron’s attempt to raise the national retirement age and change pension benefits. March 23th 2023.
May 6: King Charles III coronated

Credit: Stefan Rousseau/Pool via REUTERS
King Charles III waves as he leaves the balcony of Buckingham Palace, London, following his coronation, May 6, 2023.
Jun. 7: Canadian wildfires

Credit: REUTERS/Andrew Kelly
People ride bicycles at 6th Avenue as haze and smoke caused by wildfires in Canada blanket New York City, New York, U.S., June 7, 2023.
Aug. 24: Trump mugshot

Credit: Reuters
Former U.S. President Donald Trump in a police booking mugshot released by the Fulton County Sheriff's Office, August 24, 2023.
Sept. 25: Milei’s chainsaw

Credit: REUTERS/Cristina Sille
Argentine presidential candidate Javier Milei holds a chainsaw next to Carolina Piparo, candidate for Governor of the Province of Buenos Aires, during a campaign rally, in Buenos Aires, Argentina September 25, 2023.
Oct. 7: Noa Argamani kidnapped

Nova music festival attendee Noa Argamani reaches out to her boyfriend, Avinatan Or, as they are kidnapped by Hamas terrorists on Oct. 7, 2023.
Oct. 9: Gaza’s children bombed

Credit: IMAGO/Medhat Hajjaj/apaimages via Reuters
A child at Shifa Hospital in Gaza City rests after surgery, having been wounded in an Israeli attack. October 9, 2023.
Oct 23: Afghanistan's historic Cricket World Cup win

Credit: ANI via Reuters
Hashmatullah Shahidi celebrates Afghanistan's victory against Pakistan. Oct 23, 2023
What will 2024 bring? Make sure to subscribe to the GZERO Daily newsletter to keep up.
Britain's King Charles III waves.
Hard Numbers: Ditch the monarchy, eh?, we’re #2! , here comes Hurricane Lee, Ontario housing boom falls short
63: Barely one year into the reign of King Charles III – who is technically the king of Canada – 63% of Canadians say it’s time to rethink ties with the British crown. That’s up seven percentage points from March. And just over half of Canadians agreed with the statement that “we have to get rid of” the monarchy altogether.
2: The US News and World Report ranked Canada the No. 2 country in the world after Switzerland according to an array of lifestyle metrics. It may be hard for Canadians to miss out on the top spot — but the US isn’t even on the podium, coming in at fifth place.
90: Hurricane Lee is churning up the Atlantic with maximum sustained winds of 90 miles per hour, and is expected to strike Canada’s Atlantic provinces and New England over the weekend. Warm waters worsened by climate change and an El Niño event are driving a particularly harsh hurricane season, with the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration now predicting up to 21 storms this year.
44,000: Ontario reported the highest number of new housing construction projects in 30 years, with 44,000 new builds underway in the first half of 2023. Unfortunately, that pace is well shy of the annual target of 150,000 housing starts that the province has set in order to build 1.5 million new homes by 2031.
Britain's King Charles leaves Westminster Abbey following his coronation ceremony in London.
Charles III crowned at a turning point for the British monarchy
The UK on Saturday crowned King Charles III at Westminster Abbey. The coronation, which featured multiple faiths to reflect the country's religious diversity, was attended by some 2,000 guests amid a display of pomp and pageantry that only the British monarchy can muster. It culminated with the sovereign sitting on a 700-year-old oak throne amid the sound of trumpets and cheers of "God save the king!"
Throughout the UK, royalists celebrated in the streets and at house parties. To finish the three-day weekend, Brits were asked to give back to their communities on Monday by volunteering as part of the Big Help Out.
Despite the celebrations and worldwide coverage, questions are still rife over the future of the monarchy. While over 60% of Brits are in favor of the institution, that support is only shared by 36% of the youth. And for all the cheers on Saturday, there were others who turned out to protest. In London, 52 people were arrested for allegedly disrupting public order as they took part in anti-coronation protests.
It'll be hard for Charles III, Britain's oldest crowned king at age 74, to become as popular as his mom, the late Queen Elizabeth II, who reigned for 70 years. More broadly, the existential challenge for the British monarchy — which unlike others has little political power — will be whether it can overcome its links to a bygone era to be embraced by future generations.
Is King Charles III the "Wolf" of Buckingham Palace?
Britain's King Charles III was only four years old when his mother was crowned in 1953. But at 74, he's now the oldest person to be crowned in British history, Ian Bremmer explains on GZERO World.
He hasn't spent the past 50 years just sitting around, though - he's transformed his private estate, the Duchy of Cornwall, into a billion-pound business empire.
In 2021, it was worth over a billion pounds, and Charles had received £23 million from it.
While the family does bring in a lot of money for the UK economy, some are questioning the Windsors' ballooning personal fortune in a time of economic crisis.
The Graphic Truth: The world's other royals
The UK is set to crown King Charles III on Saturday at Westminster Abbey. The Brits know how to draw eyes with all their pomp and circumstance – although the king himself is largely a figurehead.
Indeed, many of the world's other monarchies — whether absolute like Saudi Arabia or constitutional like Thailand — wield significantly more power than the British sovereign.
While more than three-quarters of the world's countries are republics, there are still 43 functioning monarchies today. Among them are the 16 Commonwealth nations, which have been under the rule of King Charles III since Queen Elizabeth II died last year.
In honor of King Charles III’s coronation, we take a look at the state of monarchies around the world.
Russian President Vladimir Putin speaks during a concert marking the 80th anniversary of the Battle of Stalingrad in the World War Two
Hard Numbers: Putin’s history lesson, COVID vaccine makers’ profit, “deep freeze” in US south, Aussies snub King Charles III
80: In an event marking the 80th anniversary of the Battle of Stalingrad, a Soviet victory over the Nazis, Putin tried to cast the war in Ukraine in historical and moral terms. "We are again being threatened by German Leopard tanks,” he said, referring to Berlin’s recent decision to send the heavy machinery to Ukraine. Meanwhile, Kyiv says Moscow is amassing 500,000 troops in preparation for an offensive.
1.4 billion: While COVID was bad for most, it was very good for drug makers. As demand for vaccines dries up globally, drug manufacturers have so far failed to pay back $1.4 billion in advance payments for jabs made through the COVAX facility, which aimed to supply vaccines to poor countries. While some refunds have been issued directly, negotiations are ongoing.
500,000: At least 500,000 people across south-central parts of the US were left without electricity Thursday as a “deep freeze” made its way towards the northeast. The national weather service called these “once-in-a-generation” conditions and warned that exposure could lead to frostbite within 10 minutes.
5: The Australian government has taken the now-deceased British Queen Elizabeth II’s face off the $5 bill and said it will not be putting the new monarch on the next batch of notes. King Charles III, who has reportedly always felt a little insecure about his royal role, has been snubbed in favor of representatives from the Indigenous community.