Sea of Alberta flags fills legislature grounds as separatist rally draws standing-room crowd

Standing-room-only crowds lined the Alberta legislature pool and fountain Saturday as the Alberta Prosperity Project held a rally for its petition seeking a referendum on whether Alberta should separate from Canada.

Thousands wore Leave-Alberta T-shirts and carried blue flags as the event drew some of the largest crowds yet in the push toward October 19, when Premier Danielle Smith is asking Albertans whether the province should remain in Canada or hold a binding referendum on independence. Smith has said she will vote to stay but believes Albertans want to be heard.

APP leader Mitch Sylvestre addressed the rally, emphasizing that the organization's legal petition to trigger a referendum question on the ballot remains in effect regardless of timing of any election. "This future election thing, everybody says, and we'll just address it for a minute, what's going to happen with that? Well, we still have a legal petition that should trigger a question on its own — that hasn't gone away," Sylvestre said.

Separatist leader Jeffrey Rath has accused Smith of failing to protect Alberta sovereignty and kowtowing to federal authority. Sylvestre criticized the federal government's approach, saying: "You put your elbows up to protect yourself from the other side, so Ottawa is putting its elbows up to protect themselves from us, and I think that's backwards."

Two counter-protesters were quickly removed from the stage by security.

Among attendees was Jack Schauerte from Yellowknife, who said he plans to move to Edmonton next year and prefers to see Alberta become an independent republic rather than a U.S. state. A federalist supporter, Monica Bottomley, attended to observe the rally and represent those opposed to separation, which polling suggests remains the majority position among Albertans.