This week, the separatist group Stay Free Alberta submitted a petition for a referendum on the issue that had amassed 302,000 signatures – well ahead of the 178,000 (10% of eligible voters) required for the authorities to consider such a vote. It marks “a key step” towards a possible independence referendum said The Associated Press.
“This day is historic in Alberta history,” said Mitch Sylvestre, head of the organisation, delivering the signatures to the Elections Alberta office in Edmonton. “It’s the first step to the next step – we’ve gotten by Round 3, and now we’re in the Stanley Cup final.”
‘Western alienation’
The separatist movement is rooted in what is known as “western alienation”, said the BBC. Some believe Alberta is “often overlooked by decision-makers” in Ottawa. Anger with the federal capital has “long been brewing” in Alberta, particularly over its abundant natural resources.
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Some Albertans believe the federal government, especially under the ruling Liberal Party, has “stood in the way of the province’s oil and gas industry in favour of pro-climate legislation”. Separatists maintain that independence would “unlock resources”. The overwhelmingly right-wing movement was once “on the political fringes”, but over the past year, a “unity crisis has become increasingly likely".
The “economic, fiscal, and political grievances about the seemingly unfair treatment of Alberta” increased during Justin Trudeau’s premiership, Daniel Beland, political science professor at Montreal’s McGill University, told Sky News, but “they have peaked and even declined since he left office”.
Last year, Alberta Premier Danielle Smith reduced the number of signatures required for citizens to trigger a constitutional referendum, down from more than half a million. And she has blamed previous federal governments for legislation that disabled Alberta’s ability to produce and export oil. The provincial government also changed how citizen-led referendums work, so that now, they can “pose questions that would run afoul of the Canadian constitution”, said The Guardian.
Forever Canadian, not American?
The petition “stumbled immediately” after a separatist-linked group posted the personal data of nearly three million voters online. One of the biggest data breaches in Canada’s history, it has “unleashed political chaos” in Alberta and sparked fears of “a possible political interference crisis”.
The verification of signatures has also been paused while a court considers a legal challenge by a group of indigenous First Nations. It argues that Albertan separation would infringe on its rights as agreed in treaties with Britain, long before the creation of the province. In December, a judge ruled that an independence referendum would be unlawful because it violates the group’s constitutional rights – the latest case is asking if that decision still holds.
The First Nations also warned that a vote to leave Canada would “enable foreign interference” by the US. Last year, separatists “held covert meetings with members of Donald Trump’s administration”, said the paper.
CBC reported that US Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent told a right-wing TV station in January: “We should let them come down into the US” because Alberta is a “natural partner”.
Stay Free Alberta said they doubted anyone in their movement wanted to join the US. “People want sovereignty, and that’s what people in the US have, but we want sovereignty independent of the US,” said Sylvestre.
So far, there has been no response from Prime Minister Mark Carney to the petition. But even if the signatures are verified and the court rules against the challenge by the First Nations, and the federal government allows a referendum to go ahead in October, a vote for “yes” still wouldn’t automatically trigger independence.
Polls suggest the majority of Albertans would vote no, with only 26% supporting independence from Canada, according to a recent survey by Abacus Data. A petition by anti-separatist group Forever Canadian received 450,000 signatures.
