May 29, 2026 "Thousands rally across Alberta as some warn separation debate is overshadowing other concerns": Today I found this article by Kathy Le on CTV:
EDMONTON – Thousands of Albertans rallied in communities across the province Friday, voicing concerns about
affordability,
health care
and public services
as Alberta’s separation debate continues to dominate political discussion.
Organizers with the Alberta Federation of Labour (AFL) said
20 protests were held in 15 communities,
bringing together
labour groups,
community organizations
and residents
concerned about a wide range of provincial issues.
AFL president Gil McGowan said many Albertans
feel the province’s political priorities
are out of step
with the challenges
they face in their daily lives.
“I think it’s laughable to hear anyone from the UCP (United Conservative Party) saying that their government is focused on the issues that matter to Albertans because nothing could be further from the truth,”
McGowan said at a rally in downtown Edmonton.
“What matters to Albertans is the affordability crisis.
It’s about
stagnant wages,
and it’s about our public services that are
underfunded,
understaffed
and falling apart.”
McGowan argued the government’s focus on separation does not reflect the concerns he is hearing from workers and families.
“They’ve got an agenda that bears no resemblance to the priorities of ordinary Albertans,”
he said.
“Albertans didn’t ask for separatism.
I would point out that the UCP didn’t run on separatism.”
The demonstrations come as Alberta’s political landscape has been increasingly dominated by debate over a proposed referendum that would ask Albertans
whether the province should remain in Canada
or begin the process toward a future binding separation vote.
‘If Alberta separates, I will be gone’
Jason Foster, a professor of human resources and labour relations at Athabasca University, said demonstrations of this scale are unusual in Alberta and represent a significant show of strength by the labour movement.
“It would be sending a message
to the government
and to the province that the labour movement needs to be taken seriously,”
said Foster.
Foster said protests focused on a single issue are common,
but large demonstrations taking place simultaneously across multiple communities are rare.
He adds that the protests also serve as a reminder that Alberta’s political identity is not defined solely by the separation movement.
“I think today’s day of action is significant in telling the rest of the country that there are Albertans who want to fight for Canada,”
Foster said.
“This isn’t just the land of separatists.”
Many participants said they are concerned the separation debate is drawing attention away from issues they believe are more immediate.
“Really important things like
education
and health care
that they’re just completely missing the boat on,”
said Leslie Dennis in Calgary.
Dennis said she strongly opposes Alberta leaving Confederation.
“I’m very pro-Canada.
If Alberta separates,
I will be gone.”
In Calgary’s northeast, rally organizer Sead Tokalic said residents in his community are struggling with
affordability
and access to services.
“We have a huge population of disabled persons in our community,
and they’re pushing them even deeper into debt,”
he said.
The provincial government pushed back saying it is focused on many of the issues raised at the demonstrations.
In a statement, the Ministry of Jobs, Economy, Trade and Immigration said
health care,
education,
affordability,
job creation
and economic growth
remain key priorities.
The ministry pointed to
record health-care spending,
a planned $8.6-billion investment to build and modernize schools across the province,
and what it described as Canada’s strongest job creation record
and most resilient economy amid global economic uncertainty.
Jun. 4, 2026 "Alberta separatists claim independence means holding onto a Canadian passport. We asked legal experts": Today I found this article by Rukhsar Ali on CBC:
As questions around the logistics of separation loom ahead of the Oct. 19 Alberta referendum on whether or not to kickstart the legal process of exiting Canada,
the question of citizenship remains a murky one.
While several separatists claim an independent Alberta would mean citizens would continue to carry Canadian passports,
experts in constitutional law say that isn’t a guarantee.
“The answer is that Albertan residents and citizens in a new theoretical Republic of Alberta would have no entitlement to Canadian citizenship in the absence of Canada's consent,"
said Gerard Kennedy, an associate professor in the faculty of law at the University of Alberta.
And Errol Mendes, University of Ottawa law professor and editor-in-chief of the National Journal of Constitutional Law, said the issue of citizenship won’t be as simple as some may present it.
“This issue will become highly controversial during the referendum debate,
especially as basic constitutional facts can be misused by those arguing for separation,”
he said in an emailed statement to CBC News.
‘More options, not less,’ separatists claim
The Alberta Prosperity Project, one of the province’s leading separatist groups, believes once a Canadian citizen, “always a citizen,” according to its website.
It tells readers that “unless the laws are changed, you will probably keep your Canadian citizenship and passport in an independent Alberta.
“Not only that, but you will have a new Alberta citizenship and passport — you will have more options, not less.”
Pragmatically, Kennedy explained, it might be difficult for Canada to deny people with extremely strong connections to Canada citizenship, especially given that Ottawa has a generous policy toward citizenship.
Presently, people can become Canadian citizens in three main ways:
by being born on Canadian soil,
being naturalized
and by descent.
A recent change to federal law also
allows people living in other countries
who can trace their lineage from Canadian ancestors to qualify for Canadian citizenship
— even if their Canadian ancestor left the country several generations back.
Canada gets the final say
Still, neither under international law or constitutional law is it a requirement for Canada to grant Canadian citizenship to the hypothetical citizens of an independent Alberta, Kennedy said.
While a recent poll from Abacus Data suggests the majority of Albertans support staying in Canada,
the legal process for leaving the country was spelled out in federal law nearly three decades ago following the
1995 Quebec referendum
and the 1998 Supreme Court ruling on separation.
The 2000 Clarity Act states that a province could negotiate terms of
separation
— including citizenship
— if voters were presented with a "clear question" on separation
and a "clear majority" vote in favour of leaving Canada.
Last month, Prime Minister Mark Carney confirmed that the Clarity Act will not apply to the referendum question Albertans will answer in October,
"because it is a question about a question."
However, the act would apply to a potential future binding referendum on separation.
While the legislation doesn’t explicitly guarantee or deny whether the citizens of a seceding province would lose or keep their Canadian citizenship,
it includes language in its preamble that indicates secession
“could consequently entail the termination of citizenship
and other rights that Canadian citizens resident in the province enjoy as full participants in Canada.”
The act leaves the ultimate decision to the federal government
and would require the consent of other provinces,
as everyone would be affected by one province’s secession.
“It would have to be Canada's decision,”
Kennedy said, adding that the country “would have to look at the practical realities of
denying people's citizenship
or denying people access across the border.
“And that might be challenging, but they don't have to consent.
It would be a political and moral decision to consent
rather than a legal obligation.”
Challenges include dual citizenship, international recognition
In another argument made on the Alberta Prosperity Project’s website, the group said,
“dual citizenship is already precedent in Canada,
with many Canadians holding both American and Canadian passports.
“There is no reason to assume this would be any different in an independent Alberta.”
While Canada does allow citizens to hold dual citizenship,
a province separating from the country would be precedent-setting.
That matter would be subject to long, drawn-out post-separation negotiations,
according to Mendes.
If the negotiations go badly,
Canada could reject dual citizenship,
which would put Albertans at a disadvantage when traveling until any new Alberta passport is recognized by foreign nations,
he said.
But in both cases, Mendes said, there is no guarantee for an easy transition.
“Even if [Canada does] allow people to be grandfathered in because they were born in what was then the constitutional Canada
doesn't mean their children will be,”
Kennedy said.
Dual citizens may also be subject to paying taxes in both of their countries of citizenship.
For example,
because the U.S. taxes citizens regardless of where they reside,
dual citizens living in Canada have to file tax returns in both countries every year.
In this particular case,
dual citizens avoid paying double the taxes because both countries have agreed to a U.S.-Canada income tax treaty.
Then there’s the matter of whether or not other countries will recognize independent Albertan passports.
“Citizenship is kind of only as good as other countries are willing to recognize it,”
Kennedy said.
“If Alberta were to declare itself independent in the absence of Canada's consent,
I suspect that many other countries around the world wouldn't recognize it,
and they may or may not accept an Albertan passport.”
https://www.cbc.ca/news/canada/calgary/alberta-separation-passports-canadian-citizenship-9.7220110
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