Alberta separation movement won't end after October 19 referendum, organizer says

The Alberta separation movement will not end after the October 19 referendum, regardless of the result, according to Mitch Sylvestre, CEO of the Alberta Prosperity Project.

Albertans will vote on whether the province should remain in Canada or open the door to a binding referendum on separation. Sylvestre has conducted 200 town halls across the province and expects between 40 and 65 per cent support for the separation option.

"Why would we stop this movement? We're not doing it for any reason other than that we think that the sky is falling here," Sylvestre said. "What would give anybody the impression that we would abandon this? We think that we're right. We think there is a problem here."

Sylvestre said he would reconsider the movement's strategy only if support collapsed to 10 or 12 per cent. "If this vote is really skewered one way or the other, especially against us, if I really believed that we got 10 or 12 per cent of the vote, you know what, that'll change my opinion on things," Sylvestre said. "Whether the movement will die or not, that's not my responsibility to say because I can't speak for every Albertan."

Pollsters consistently show a vast majority of Albertans want to remain in Canada. A recent CBC-commissioned poll suggests support for the separation option appears to be softening. Despite the polling, Sylvestre does not give much weight to polls. He also indicated distrust of the expanded mail-in voting process.

Elections Alberta has sent out over 650,000 mail-in ballots — 11 times the number requested in the 2023 provincial election. The Stay Free Alberta petition campaign claimed more than one month ago to have obtained the required 178,000 signatures to force the referendum question onto the ballot. The current count stands at well over 300,000 signatures.

Premier Danielle Smith's office said the government respects the referendum process. "The premier looks forward to seeing the direction Albertans give us on October 19th and will respect and honour the results. We expect all Albertans to do the same," press secretary Sam Blackett said. "We hope to get a strong mandate from Albertans on our other nine questions and for remaining in Canada, so that we can continue our work to build a stronger Alberta within a united Canada."