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<\/p>\nIf crowd size is to be believed, the idea of Alberta separating from Canada is gaining momentum as a large crowd of supporters attended a meeting on the proposal in Red Deer Wednesday evening.<\/p>\n
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The organizers, a group called Stay Free Alberta<\/a>, are attempting collect enough signatures on a petition calling on the provincial government to hold a referendum on separation.<\/p>\n To be successful, they need to collect about 177,000 signatures by May 2, of which 10 per cent must be eligible voters from the last provincial election.<\/p>\n The signatures must then be validated by the province\u2019s Chief Electoral Officer<\/a>, before the petition can be presented to the Alberta government.<\/p>\n The media was not allowed into Wednesday\u2019s meeting, not allowed to shoot video of anyone signing the petition and none of the organizers on site would agree to be interviewed.<\/p>\n Story continues below advertisement<\/p>\n However, others who spoke off the record claimed some people waited in line for up to three hours to sign the petition.<\/p>\n \t\t\t\t\tWhile none of the organizers would do an interview with the media during Wednesday evening\u2019s event, some of those in attendance claim people waited in line for up to 3 hours to sign a petition calling for a referendum on Alberta\u2019s separation from Canada.\t\t\t\t <\/p>\n \t\t\t\t\tGlobal News\t\t\t\t<\/p>\n Anger with the federal government appeared to be the motivation for most of those who did agree to speak with Global News.<\/p>\n \u201cIt\u2019s been an abusive relationship for so long. I just think most of us just want out,\u201d said James Dunsmuir. \u201cWe\u2019re just tired of being taken advantage of by the east.\u00a0 A lot of our money goes east and not a lot comes back and we\u2019re not treated very well out east and I think we\u2019d just be better off ruling ourselves.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cThe federal government has taken advantage of Alberta and all its resources and I really hope that everybody can see that we are hard-working Canadians and we deserve to have and reap what we sow,\u201d said Amber Klaffke.<\/p>\n Story continues below advertisement<\/p>\n \u201cThis is overwhelming, for sure. It\u2019s great, it\u2019s wonderful, but I\u2019ll tell you what, it\u2019s a small segment of what you\u2019re going to see in the next few weeks, I guarantee,\u201d added Don Bouvette.<\/p>\n \t\t\t\t\t\t \n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t2:33 In an interview on Thursday afternoon, the head of Stay Free Alberta, Mitch Sylvestre, wouldn\u2019t reveal how many signatures the group has gathered on its petition so far, but said he\u2019s confident they\u2019ll get enough by the May 6 deadline.<\/p>\n \t\t\t\t\t \t\t\t\t\tGet weekly money news<\/p>\n Get expert insights, Q&A on markets, housing, inflation, and personal finance information delivered to you every Saturday.<\/p>\n \u201cI know for sure we\u2019re ahead because I\u2019ve got a little rough tally in my head. I think we have a very good chance to succeed here based on turnout that we\u2019ve been getting.\u201d<\/p>\n \t\t\t\t\tWhile several people who attended the Red Deer meeting were also seen wearing Make America Great Again hats, the organizers of Stay Free Alberta reject the idea of Alberta becoming the 51st state.\t\t\t\t <\/p>\n \t\t\t\t\tGlobal News\t\t\t\t<\/p>\n While a few people at the Red Deer event were also seen wearing red \u201cMake America Great Again\u201d hats, Sylvestre rejected the idea that the group is getting support from the U.S. government.<\/p>\n Story continues below advertisement<\/p>\n \u201cIt\u2019s very simple. We\u2019ve been there, we\u2019ve spoken to them, you know, very informally. We don\u2019t want to become a 51st state. And that\u2019s basically all there is to it,\u201d said Sylvestre.<\/p>\n \t\t\t\t\tWhile recent polls show a large majority of Albertans reject the idea of Alberta\u2019s separation from Canada, the same polls show there has been a small increase in support for the idea.\t\t\t\t <\/p>\n \t\t\t\t\tGlobal News\t\t\t\t<\/p>\n According to two recent polls, a large majority of Albertans don\u2019t want to separate from Canada, however one shows support for the idea has grown.<\/p>\n We\u2019ve been tracking this issue for the past couple of years, said Mario Canseco, president of Vancouver-based Research Co.<\/a><\/p>\n \u201cIt\u2019s a two-to-one margin when we ask Albertans if they want to stay or if they want independence, 62 per cent saying that they oppose this move, 31 per cent who say that they support it,\u201d said Canseco.<\/p>\n However, he says there are some interesting demographic differences.<\/p>\n Story continues below advertisement<\/p>\n \u201cAcross generations, people aged 18 to 34, are significantly more likely to say that they favour Alberta\u2019s independence.\u00a0 More than two out of five tell us they are happy with that idea, and essentially those over the age of 35 are not really that supportive of it,\u201d Canseco added.<\/p>\n While the idea of separation is often perceived to be an issue of rural versus urban Albertans, the polling results showed that support for separation is up slightly in Alberta\u2019s two biggest cities.<\/p>\n The Research Co poll said 31 per cent of Calgarians and 29 per cent of Edmontonians support the idea, both up by 5 per cent since 2023.<\/p>\n \u201cWe cannot look at this as a rural campaign anymore,\u201d said Canseco.<\/p>\n Another poll<\/a> conducted in December 2025 by a Pollara Strategic insights<\/a>, shows little change in the support for separation.<\/p>\n \u201cCurrently, 19 per cent of Albertans would vote to separate, to leave Canada if there was a referendum,\u201d said Matt Smith, Pollara\u2019s executive vice-president. \u201cWe\u2019ve been tracking this since 2021, and only once has the number gone above 20 per cent. One year it was 23 per cent.<\/p>\n \u201cSo it is relatively stable in or just below 20 per cent of Albertans feel that they would vote yes to leave.\u201d<\/p>\n Story continues below advertisement<\/p>\n However, Smith said the poll also found that only about half of people living in western Canada think the the federal government thinks about them\u00a0 when making decisions.<\/p>\n \u201cSo I think all of that adds up to explain, or to show that, of course western alienation is real,\u201d added Smith.<\/p>\n \t\t\t\t\t\t \n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t1:15 Even if successful in gathering enough signatures, the organizers of Stay Free Alberta may still have some other legal hurdles to clear.<\/p>\n On Friday, Jan. 16, an Alberta Court of King\u2019s Bench judge in Edmonton will hear arguments from the Athabasca Chipewyan First Nation that the provincial legislation under which a separation referendum would take place is illegal because it fails to recognize the constitutionally protected rights of First Nations who have vowed to block any attempt at separation.<\/p>\n![\"Click](\"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/01\/SAT_GN_HYW_ALBERTA_SITE_THUMB_271225.jpg\")
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