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Smith, Moe and Carney reject Musk's call for Quebec, Alberta and Saskatchewan to separate

After Elon Musk posted on X that Quebec, Alberta and Saskatchewan should leave Canada, Alberta Premier Danielle Smith and Saskatchewan Premier Scott Moe rejected the idea, and Prime Minister Mark Carney said Canadians will decide their own future.

2 outlets · 1L · 0C · 1R First reported Account updated
Image: National Post
Image: The Hindu

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The story, neutrally told

Mixed · 2Elon Musk wrote on X on Wednesday, 7 October 2026, that "Quebec should separate" and that "They would be better off. Alberta and Saskatchewan should separate too." Mixed · 2Musk's first post replied to Polymarket's report on Paul St-Pierre Plamondon's pledge that Quebec independence would one day be achieved. St-Pierre Plamondon's Parti Québécois won Monday's Quebec election. Mixed · 2Saskatchewan Premier Scott Moe quote-replied to Musk's post with a single word: "No."

Right · 1Alberta Premier Danielle Smith also disagreed. Speaking to a chamber of commerce in Leduc, Nisku and Wetaskiwin, Smith said Canada can work for Alberta and that "our best days are still ahead, as a strong Alberta within a united Canada." Left · 1In Edmonton, Smith said separatist sentiment had weakened as the federal government changed its approach and agreed to work with Alberta on its concerns. Left · 1On Thursday, 8 October, Prime Minister Mark Carney said the future of Canada "will be decided by Canadians" and that Canadians should live by their languages and cultures without interference "from foreign governments and large tech firms that think they can tell us what to do."

Mixed · 2Alberta votes on 19 October on a referendum question asking whether the province should remain in Canada or begin the legal process toward a binding provincial referendum on separation. Smith announced the question in May after two grassroots petitions, from Forever Canada and Stay Free Alberta, gathered more than 700,000 signatures. Left · 1The Hindu, citing McGill political scientist Daniel Béland, reported that the PQ won about 28% of the vote and fell short of a majority, and that support for Quebec independence remains about 30%. Béland said the result reflected a desire to oust the Coalition Avenir Québec government more than support for separation. Right · 1The National Post noted that Moe said in May that Saskatchewan supports "a strong and growing province of Saskatchewan with the united nation of Canada," while defending Alberta's right to hold its vote as Smith "following the law."

Right · 1The National Post also recalled earlier Musk comments on Canada: in April he agreed that Alberta independence was the only way to save the province, and last year he wrote that "Canada is not a real country" in a since-deleted post. It noted that Musk's mother was raised in Saskatchewan.

Every sentence links to the reporting it rests on. The pill in front of each says where its sources sit: Left, Centre or Right when one side supplies at least half of them, Mixed when they are evenly split. The number is how many outlets it cites.

Left1 outlet

Framing
Leads with the prime minister's pushback against foreign and tech-industry interference, and adds context that the PQ win was not a mandate for independence.
Emphasis
Carney's statement, expert analysis of the PQ result, Smith's view that separatist sentiment has weakened.
Leaves out or plays down
Referendum petition details and Musk's earlier Canada comments.
Charged language
“large tech firms”
For example
“Mr. Carney said Canadians should be free to live according to their languages and cultures, without interference "from foreign governments and large tech firms that think they can tell us what to do."” — The Hindu

Centre0 outlets

No centre outlet in our sources has covered this story yet.

Right1 outlet

Framing
Leads with the two premiers shutting down Musk's suggestion; a provincial-politics report centred on Smith and Moe's responses.
Emphasis
Smith's and Moe's statements, the Alberta referendum wording and petitions, Musk's earlier comments on Canada and his Saskatchewan family ties.
Leaves out or plays down
Carney's response and the analysis that the PQ win was not a mandate for independence.
Charged language
“shut down”
For example
“Alberta Premier Danielle Smith and Saskatchewan Premier Scott Moe have rejected billionaire Elon Musk’s suggestion that the provinces should separate from Canada.” — National Post