Alberta Premier Danielle Smith and the United Conservative Party government opened the barn door to calls for separation from the Canadian federation among their electoral base. While Premier Smith now claims that she is trying to close that door, the separatism horse has already bolted.
The separatist movement in Alberta leverages internal perceptions that Eastern Canada and the federal government do not respect or support Albertans. Western alienation has been a guiding cause for this frustration for decades – propelled by policies like the National Energy Program (which is still a major talking point with conservative Albertans today).
While separatism was not necessarily a major part of alienation sentiment at that time, it has since been emboldened by right-wing influences from the United States and Brexit. Unfortunately, the forces behind Alberta separatism have many allies in today’s UCP government.
Premier Smith called a referendum on several questions for October 19, 2026, including the question: “Should Alberta remain a province of Canada or should the Government of Alberta commence the legal process required under the Canadian Constitution to hold a binding provincial referendum on whether or not Alberta should separate from Canada?”
The referendum is technically only exploring the possibility of another future referendum on separation, but it must still be treated as an opportunity to stop the separation movement, at least for the time being.
However, Premier Smith and the Alberta government are choosing to enable separatist voices as a distraction from the very real crises in Alberta. These provincial government crises being buried under separatist attention include deadly emergency room waiting times amid the introduction of two-tier health care, lawsuits alleging cancer-causing pollution in Indigenous communities, and rising hate against the transgender and newcomer communities.
Despite the noise that the separatist movement has made, polling shows that the majority of Albertans are not in favour of their province’s separation from Canada. However, separatists have continued their offensive, dictating the premise of the debate that the Alberta government has conceded. This is why Canadians across the country must join the fight against Alberta separatism.
Albertans must be reminded that Canadians have their backs, and there are many ways the rest of Canada can support unity with Alberta.
The most direct way to stand against separatist movements is to apply pressure to MPs and provincial legislative members across Canada. Albertans standing against separatism alone may not be enough, and this is an issue of national importance with major ramifications for Canadians in other provinces. Canadians deserve to know that their elected representatives support national unity and will actively fight for it. This cannot be ignored in the rest of Canada and must be reflected in the rhetoric and policy of elected representatives across the country.
Outside of Alberta, it is fair game to talk about the dangers of separatism in Alberta (and elsewhere), and it is necessary to actively dispel misinformation and disinformation disseminated by separatism’s proponents.
Debate should not be discouraged – Canadians must actively promote unity, not just respond to separatism. However, for outsiders of Alberta politics, it is challenging to truly understand the unique political climate inside the province.
While the separatist base in Alberta is relatively small, there are still a substantial number of Albertans who share some of the concerns expressed by separatists such as equalization, federal representation, energy policy, and other policy matters. For those Albertans that may sympathize with these issues but disagree that Albertan independence is the answer, unity can still be forged. Much like the square and rectangle, (almost) all separatists are frustrated by our federation, but not all of those who are frustrated by our federation are separatists.
However, the more that those Albertans are lumped in with the separatist class, the more likely they will be pushed to join that side. According to an April 2026 Pollara survey, though a small minority of decided voters in Alberta would vote to separate, “support rises to 42% when you add in Albertans who say they might vote to separate as a way to ‘send a message’ to Ottawa.” From the same survey, 84% of Albertans are “proud to be Canadian” – 58% of those who would vote to separate are also still “proud to be Canadian.”
Most Albertans would fight for unity and they should not be lumped in with those trying to tear the country apart. Being a proud Albertan and a proud Canadian are not mutually exclusive ideas.
The separatist class in our province has been dominating the discourse on the referendum. They have been allowed to set the frame, forcing the rest of the province to debate on their terms. This has allowed separatists to amplify their voices exponentially.
There are, however, many voices from Alberta that have been leading the charge on the side of national unity, but many more voices are needed.\Whether one lives in Alberta or not, amplifying pro-unity arguments from Albertans not only helps show the rest of the country that Albertans are proud Canadians, but it helps reflect those arguments back to the province itself. As much as other Canadians need to see Albertans supporting unity, Albertans need to see other Albertans supporting unity, too.
No amount of supporting evidence or data will sway those who have already decided they are separatists. Instead of simply refuting separatist talking points, those on the side of unity must lead the conversation and talk about why Canada is worth keeping united and is worth being proud of.
Of course, as more Canadians enter the separatism debate, separatists will begin to push back – specifically to challenge the validity of outside voices.
This is an issue of national importance, and no Canadian should apologize for standing up for national unity and supporting the Albertans that are fighting for our collective future. The “we want to send a message” crowd must be reminded that, though imperfect, unity is worth fighting for. Without engagement, separatists may win the sympathies of Albertans who feel ignored.
Progressives must lead conversations and be proactive across all debates in the issues that Albertans are engaged with, not just separatism.
