Alberta Separatists Vow to Continue Campaign After Referendum, Warn Premier She Could Be Replaced

Alberta’s leading separatists say their movement will not end regardless of the outcome of Monday’s vote on whether the province should begin the process of leaving Canada, with one prominent figure declaring supporters have “already won” by forcing independence onto the mainstream political agenda.

Keith Wilson, co-chair of the pro-independence group Let Alberta Decide, told a rally outside the Alberta legislature in Edmonton on Saturday that the movement had convinced hundreds of thousands of Albertans that independence was legally possible. “Regardless of what happens on Monday, we’ve already won,” Wilson said.

Jeffrey Rath, a lawyer for the group behind a citizen-led independence petition, struck a more combative tone, saying the vote is “just the first battle” and that efforts to replace Premier Danielle Smith would begin after Tuesday.

“We’re Albertans. We roll up our sleeves and we work harder,” he told the rally. “A lot of us feel Danielle Smith needs to go. Once we get her replaced, we’ll keep moving forward toward an independent Alberta”.

Smith, who has said she voted to remain in Canada, has defended calling the referendum as necessary to settle the question after frustration with Ottawa reached a boiling point.

Her office has said she expects the October 19 vote to be the last word on the matter and that Albertans will be “ready to move forward and fight for a stronger Alberta within a united Canada”.

The separatist movement has drawn activists who opposed COVID-19 vaccine mandates and supported the 2022 trucker convoy, and it has been fueled by long-standing Western alienation over federal energy and environmental policies.

Polls have consistently shown a majority of Albertans want to stay in Canada, with one recent survey cited by Smith showing just 22 per cent support for separation.

Madison Holmes, a 23-year-old independence supporter from Calgary, said the pandemic and vaccine mandates drew her into politics.

“COVID is what got me out of my shell. I was not political,” she said. Her sister Maycee added: “The cat’s out of the bag when it comes to independence”.

Wilson also rejected former Alberta premier Jason Kenney’s suggestion that separatists should abandon their cause if they fail to win a majority Monday. “That’s not happening,” he said. “We are going to build on our successes, build on our relationships”.

Monday’s ballot question asks Albertans whether the province should remain in Canada or begin the legal process toward a future referendum on separation.

It is not a direct vote on independence itself. More than one million Albertans had already cast ballots in advance voting, according to Elections Alberta.

Also on Saturday, a major fire broke out at a military base in Alberta. Smith said the fire affected many military personnel, and Prime Minister Mark Carney said it was caused by a “serious incident,” but other details were not immediately available.