Alberta's separation referendum set for October
Voters will decide if the province stays in Canada or holds a binding separation vote. Premier Smith says she'll campaign to keep Alberta in Confederation.
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Albertans will vote on whether the province should stay in Canada or hold a binding referendum on separation, under a referendum planned for October 19.
The vote was triggered by two citizen-led petitions. Forever Canada, asking if Alberta should remain in the country, was verified in December with about 400,000 signatures. The separatist group Stay Free Alberta handed in a petition in May with roughly 300,000 names of people who want Alberta to become an independent state. A judge later quashed that petition, ruling the government neglected its duty to consult First Nations.
Premier Danielle Smith says she can't ignore those who signed and that the referendum will give Albertans a chance to have their say. Smith says she'll be voting for Alberta to stay in Canada and hopes to convince others, but she understands many have resentments with Ottawa over energy and environmental policies.
Among those who signed the petitions are voices on both sides. Some see separation as a way to chart Alberta's own course; others worry it would be economically unrealistic and that working within Confederation is the better answer.