Alberta Separatists Submit 301,450 Signatures for Referendum

Alberta separatists delivered a petition with 301,450 signatures to Elections Alberta in Edmonton on Monday, surpassing the 177,732 signatures required to trigger a provincewide referendum on independence from Canada.

The Stay Free Alberta campaign, which began collecting signatures in January, expects most submissions to be verified, clearing the threshold and forcing a vote on its proposed question: "Do you agree that the Province of Alberta should cease to be part of Canada to become an independent state?" Campaign general counsel Jeffrey Rath described the effort as a success, noting that 7,000 canvassers gathered names from Albertans across the province and even abroad. "Hundreds of thousands of Albertans have expressed a clear desire to vote to become a free and independent country," Rath said. An additional 1,500 signatures remain in the mail.

Premier Danielle Smith has pledged to hold the referendum if the petition meets requirements, potentially placing it alongside nine government questions on immigration and the constitution during the province's scheduled October 19, 2026, vote. One United Conservative Party legislator, Red Deer MLA Jason Stephan, has publicly...