Jan. 15, 2026 "Long lineups in central Alberta to sign petition for province to leave Canada": Today I found this article by on CBC:
Large crowds of people lined up around the block outside a pair of packed community halls in central Alberta on Wednesday night,
to attend town meetings focused on the idea of the province seeking independence from Canada.
The events were held in Red Deer and Eckville and were organized by the Stay Free Alberta campaign.
Attendees could hear more about the campaign for a referendum on independence
and also sign a petition pushing for such a referendum.
A common theme among people who showed up at the events was a desire for change.
“I don’t think that we’re heard here in Alberta as they are in the East, and we want to see some change,” said Sara Moberg, who lined up to sign the petition in Red Deer.
The petition was brought forward by Mitch Sylvestre, CEO of the Alberta Prosperity Project. Sylvestre,
who spoke to attendees at the event in Eckville,
got approval from Elections Alberta in December to start collecting signatures.
Stay Free Alberta has nearly four months to gather close to 178,000 signatures.
Moberg said her motivation was rooted in concern for the future.
“I want to see change for my kids,”
she said.
“I don’t want them to carry all the debt that’s going to happen if we keep what we have right now.
“I want my kids to see that I stood for something I believed in.”
Tracy Worthington was also at the Red Deer event. She said she’s hoping Albertans will choose “independence and the ability to govern ourselves without any federal overreach.”
Brandie Bowman said she is confident the group will reach the required number of signatures.
“The lines are there everywhere, at every event. It doesn’t matter if it’s a small town, a big city or a medium-sized city,” she said.
Bowman also spoke about grievances like being tired of
equalization payments, a
and why she thinks sovereignty feels like a viable option.
“Jobs,
homes …
the ability to actually develop all of our resources,”
she said.
“Not just
oil and gas,
but our agriculture,
critical minerals,
forestry,
… everything is hidden behind red tape.”
Already over 2,000 canvassers
Sylvestre said he is ecstatic about the turnout he has seen since he was able to start collecting signatures.
“All this hall will be full,” Sylvestre told CBC News shortly before the speeches were delivered in Eckville.
“They will be lined up around the building to sign. And that's been what we're seeing every night.”
Sylvestre said his campaign already has over
2,000 canvassers
and is a “true grassroots movement.”
Sylvan Lake resident Darwin Graff was at the event in Eckville. He said he believes if the campaign is successful in posing its referendum question to Albertans and then they vote to separate from Canada,
he thinks Alberta could face some hard times at first.
“But once that stability is placed back into the province again,
I think Alberta is going to thrive,”
he said.
“With the oilsands as a staple, we've got other resources as well, that are gonna play a role in that as well.”
The next petition signing events are scheduled for Friday in Okotoks, Drayton Valley and the James River Bridge area. More than 20 such events are planned across the province in the coming weeks.
Last year, Sylvestre applied to have a similar referendum question heard:
"Do you agree that the province of Alberta shall become a sovereign country and cease to be a province in Canada?"
That question was later deemed unconstitutional by an Alberta judge. But late last year, the provincial government passed amendments to Bill 14,
which allows for citizen initiatives to go ahead even if their constitutionality has not been assessed.
Around the same time, the “Forever Canadian” petition was verified as successful by Elections Alberta, with over 400,000 votes. It asks the opposing question:
"Do you agree that Alberta should remain within Canada?"
That petition, launched by former deputy premier Thomas Lukaszuk could trigger a referendum, but he has previously said his goal is to have Premier Danielle Smith ask the petition’s question in the legislature and have MLAs vote on it.
Sylvestre told CBC News that the number of signatories to the petition would not be shared until the end of the collection period.
https://www.cbc.ca/news/canada/edmonton/red-deer-alberta-independence-petition-9.7047779
Mar. 6, 2026 "'Rock solid' majority opposed to Alberta independence: Abacus Data poll": Today I found this article by Jennifer Keiller on CBC:
About a quarter of Albertans support the province leaving Canada,
but the majority — nearly two-thirds — are against it,
according to a new poll from Abacus Data.
The poll also suggests that more than half of Albertans believe Premier Danielle Smith would vote in favour of separation in a referendum,
despite Smith’s repeated position that she prefers a strong and sovereign Alberta, within a united Canada.
Abacus surveyed 1,000 Albertan adults between Feb. 20 and 25. That followed Smith’s televised address to the province on Feb. 19, where she discussed frustrations with federal policies and laid the groundwork for additional referendum questions.
The poll was conducted online with a random sample. The margin of error for a comparable probability-based sample of the same size is plus or minus 3.1 percentage points, 19 times out of 20.
Twenty-six per cent support independence
Twenty-six per cent of respondents said they either
strongly
or somewhat support an independent Alberta,
with 64 per cent either
strongly
or somewhat disagreeing.
Nine per cent of respondents were undecided.
The numbers are similar to a recent survey on separation by the Angus Reid Institute.
The Abacus poll also suggests many are firmly entrenched in their position.
Of those opposed to separation,
56 per cent said they were strongly against it.
Thirteen per cent of those in support were strongly in favour.
“There is this majority opinion in the province that I think is probably rock solid,
and despite a significant effort to persuade them,
they're not likely going to move,”
said David Coletto, founder and CEO of Abacus Data.
Support for independence was highest in rural areas outside of Edmonton and Calgary,
with 35 per cent of respondents in favour.
Groups most highly opposed to the idea include
Albertans aged 60 and over
and women.
Of the respondents who voted for the NDP in the last provincial election,
82 per cent oppose independence.
The numbers are a little closer among those who voted UCP in 2023
— 42 per cent support independence,
while 48 per cent oppose it.
Mitch Sylvestre, CEO of separatist group Alberta Prosperity Project,
said he thinks there are many Albertans who would not be inclined to share their honest opinions with a pollster,
and that his group is hearing from many in favour of separation.
“Polls are irrelevant, as far as we're concerned here. We're not paying attention to them,” he told CBC News.
"We're going to go talk to every Albertan one at a time," he said.
"And by the time the vote comes, we'll have talked to a lot of Albertans.
And, you know, maybe they'll understand what we're talking about and maybe they won't.
And you know what, I've always said, this is a democratic process, so I'll live with the results."
Coletto said respondents always have the option to say they are unsure.
He said the poll is reflective of the current moment in time,
and numbers could shift in the lead-up to a referendum, if it is to be held.
The citizen initiative petition, of which Sylvestre is the proponent, asks:
“Do you agree that the province of Alberta should cease to be a part of Canada to become an independent state?”
It needs 177,732 signatures collected by May 2 in order to trigger a referendum.
If that happens,
it would be added to the ballot for the Oct. 19 referendum announced by Smith last month.
Perceptions around Smith's separation position
The poll also asked respondents how they thought some political leaders would vote in a referendum on separation.
Fifty-three per cent said they thought Smith would vote in favour of separation,
the highest of the five leaders presented as options in the poll.
Twenty-nine per cent said they believed Smith would vote to remain in Canada,
while 18 per cent were unsure.
“I have been very clear: I support a strong and sovereign Alberta within a united Canada," Smith said in a statement.
While it does not reflect Smith's actual voting intention,
Coletto said the question was asked to shed light on the perceptions Albertans have about her.
“I do think that the question itself, while atypical,
I think gives us a lot of insight into how Albertans feel what her position is,
despite what she might be saying
or how she's saying it,”
said Coletto.
Sylvestre said he has also heard Smith maintain a clear position.
“I would suggest that at some point we have to take her at her word that she is actually not in support of Alberta independence,”
said Sylvestre.
Twenty-two per cent of respondents said they thought Conservative Leader Pierre Poilievre would vote in favour of Alberta separation.
Poilievre has also said he is in favour of a united Canada.
Sixteen per cent said they believed former Alberta premier Jason Kenney would vote to separate,
while seven per cent and six per cent said the same of former premier Rachel Notley
and current Alberta NDP leader Naheed Nenshi,
respectively.
The Abacus polling also looked at whether attitudes would shift if Poilievre were prime minister.
The results suggest about half would feel the same in their position,
while 23 per cent would be less supportive of separation.
https://www.cbc.ca/news/canada/calgary/abacus-data-alberta-separation-poll-9.7116515
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