Alberta plans a public vote this year amid growing tensions with Ottawa over energy and federal policy

Calls for separation in Canada’s oil-rich province of Alberta have invited comparisons with Brexit from Prime Minister Mark Carney, who warned against the move and described it as a “dangerous bluff.”

The western province is set to hold a public vote in October on whether to remain part of Canada or move toward a formal referendum on independence. The vote, announced by Alberta Premier Danielle Smith last week, follows a petition drive by the pro-independence group Stay Free Alberta, which submitted more than 300,000 signatures calling for a referendum on separation.

Commenting on the developments, Carney told reporters on Monday that Canada was “absolutely stronger together.” Referring to Smith’s plan, he described the move as a “very dangerous bluff,” drawing parallels with Britain’s 2016 vote to leave the EU.

“I saw first-hand what happened in the United Kingdom when the view was, vote for this,…