While Calgary is well positioned to weather global economic turbulence, the pall of Alberta separatism is damaging business prospects, said Mayor Jeromy Farkas.
Farkas delivered a speech at the 2026 Calgary Economic Development (CED) Report to the Community on April 8, 2026, that encouraged more cooperation between Canada and Alberta.
Alberta separatists have reportedly collected the required number of signatures to move a potential referendum question forward in the Alberta Legislature.
Farkas told reporters on Wednesday that it’s time for citizens to fight back. It’s costing Calgary economic opportunities, he said.
“What we’re seeing is that the rising rhetoric is actually damaging our prospects to attract industry. It’s practically every day now that I speak with potential investors entrepreneurs who are thinking about Calgary but otherwise putting their plans on hold until we see a resolution of the whole debate around separatism,” he said.
“This has caused a tremendous amount of damage thus far, even the debate around it, so I’m going to be welcoming that debate. I’m going to be pushing hard for Calgary’s case for Canada.”
The mayor said that he wouldn’t dismiss the issues that Albertans have in terms of the province’s role in Confederation, but he said it’s better to work on having those issues addressed.
“When it comes to the damage that we’re seeing right now for economic development because of the perpetuation of this false narrative, it’s starting to have huge impacts here locally,” he said.
“It seems like it’s a fait accompli that this will be going to a vote and a referendum. I say bring it on. The case for Canada has never been stronger here for Calgary and Calgarians, and I’m going to continue to make that case as Calgary’s mayor.”
Some deals being paused
Calgary Economic Development’s Brad Parry told reporters Wednesday that the city has been dealing with global tariffs, geopolitical events and trade disruptions over the past year.
In his remarks, he referred repeatedly to Alberta – and Calgary – being a strong, stable place in order to continue attracting Canada leading investment.
“The message today will be simple: Calgary can and will succeed if we remain a stable and reliable investment and trading partner,” Parry said.
He said over the past year, they’ve helped companies expand into 21 countries across six continents and supported the generation of $60 million in international revenue through 45 deals – the largest ever by CED.
Along with that, they’ve helped support the attraction of businesses absorbing 700,000 square feet of real estate, and nearly a billion in investments that have created 8,000 jobs.
“That shows what’s really at stake in times like this,” he said.
“There’s always a temptation to pull inward, become more cautious, more insular and more siloed, but we know that history has shown us that if we close ourselves off, everyone loses. Capital goes where there’s stability, predictability and certainty.”
When asked specifically about the impact of Alberta separatism on Calgary’s economic resilience and momentum, Parry said it’s having an impact.
“We do get those questions. There’s no doubt. I think the mayor is absolutely right. Have we seen decisions being paused? Absolutely. Have we seen them be stopped? No.
“Our point of view is simply that we still have the best business environment in Canada, if not North America, we have the right talent, the right workforce, and the right attitude, actually, to continue to grow and become a destination for companies.”
Parry said that given current global event, and its impact on the energy industry moving forward, there’s still uncertainty and unpredictability.
“As global relationships are being reshaped, Calgary has the opportunity to win the century for Canada, diversifying our industries, expanding our trading partners, and setting the pace rather than reacting to change,” he said.
