Canadian Prime Minister Mark Carney has campaigned for his country's national unity in Alberta, before the oil-rich province votes on whether it wants a binding independence referendum.

Polling indicates less than a quarter of Alberta's roughly five million people want to break away from Canada, but Carney, who grew up in the western province, said "polls don't vote".

"This referendum comes at the worst possible time," Carney told a rally in Calgary, Alberta's largest city.

"This is not poker. A vote against Canada is a dangerous bluff that will lead to years of deep uncertainty and lost opportunities," he continued.

"Vote like Canada depends on it. Because it does."

Alberta's right-wing Premier Danielle Smith says she is against independence but called Monday's non-binding vote to settle a divisive issue.

If a majority votes for independence, she has committed to launching a legally binding separation process. If a majority votes to stay, Smith says she will not approve another referendum.

Mitch Sylvestre, who heads the Alberta Prosperity Project, a prominent separatist organisation, said his side might "actually win this referendum".

"I would be very surprised if we got less than 40 percent," he said in an interview on Tuesday.

Carney has put Alberta's oil industry at the centre of his plans to solidify Canada's economy and reduce dependence on the United States, warning close economic ties have been permanently fractured by President Donald Trump.

Carney has backed a new pipeline and other projects to increase crude production, marking a clear break from his predecessor, Justin Trudeau, who was broadly reviled in Alberta over allegations he stifled oil industry growth in favour of environmental policies.

Carney has repeatedly cited the proposed pipeline to argue for Alberta's future prosperity within a united Canada. (AFP)


Edited by Aaron Tam