Alberta separatist leader urges all voters to back Option 2 as leverage against Ottawa

Keith Wilson, a lawyer and co-chair of Let Alberta Decide, encouraged all Albertans—including those against separation—to vote Option 2 in the fall referendum, arguing it strengthens the premier's hand in dealings with Ottawa.

Wilson spoke Sunday at the Alberta and the West Assembly online forum, hosted by Preston Manning, the former Reform Party of Canada leader, and Gordon Campbell, former B.C. Premier. Premier Danielle Smith gave an emotional address on Saturday at the same two-day event.

"Voting for Option 2 gives the premier leverage. Voting Option 1 is a surrender. It is a message to Prime Minister Carney and Ottawa that Albertans are fine with the current arrangement, that everything's okay," Wilson said.

Option 2 asks the government to begin the process to hold a binding referendum on separation. Option 1 asks if Alberta should remain a province in Canada. Wilson framed the vote not as agreement with separation but as a signal about whether Albertans are satisfied with the status quo. A majority vote for Option 2, he said, would "completely take the wind out of the current pushes" for separatist parties.

Smith said she is campaigning for Alberta to remain in Canada. She explained the referendum structure: "I want to really hunker down and focus on my nine, on addressing the nine questions that I've put forward. That's part of the reason I want such a strong mandate there, and I think it gives me leverage." The ballot includes nine other questions around immigration and constitutional matters.

Bruce Pardy, a Queen's University Law professor on leave serving as executive director of Rights Probe, also spoke Sunday. Pardy argued there is no way for Canada to fundamentally change how it operates under the current system and that Alberta independence carries risks. "To save the country, Alberta must leave the country; only in the face of a political earthquake will Canada face its own deep problem. Alberta it is time to go," Pardy said. Pro-independence advocates cited grievances over equalization payments, federal interference, and oil and gas regulations.