Alberta Prosperity Project ousts member after 'towel-headed police officer' slur at constitution event

The Alberta Prosperity Project has accepted the resignation of member Ian Parkinson after he used a racial slur during a Thursday event where the separatist group presented its draft constitution for an independent Alberta.

Parkinson, introduced as a co-writer of the "Foundation of Freedom" document, made the derogatory comment — typically directed at Sikh, Muslim or Arab individuals — while the presentation was livestreamed online to a gathering in Airdrie. The remark drew applause from some audience members.

On Friday afternoon, Mitch Sylvestre, the group's leader, announced he had accepted Parkinson's immediate resignation and barred him from participating in, speaking at, or representing the Alberta Prosperity Project's events or initiatives going forward.

"The Alberta Prosperity Project does not condone or tolerate what was said," Sylvestre said. "We strongly oppose those comments, and we are disappointed they were made from a platform we provided." Sylvestre said he was backstage when the remark was made and did not hear it directly. "That was very, very unfortunate," he said, adding that it doesn't represent the group's values. "Had I heard that, I would have dealt with it right there on the spot."

Parkinson was not a board member or officer of the Alberta Prosperity Project. The group confirmed he was associated with the Black Hat Gang, a Medicine Hat-based group that has met with senior government officials and proposed drafts of Albertans' rights.

Reporters reached out to Parkinson for comment but did not receive a response.

The remark drew criticism from within the separatist movement itself. Keith Wilson, co-leader of the pro-independence group Let Alberta Decide, said the comment taints the broader movement. "When you get someone, like happened last night, from some subgroup called the Black Hats making ridiculous, racist and inappropriate comments, that it taints the whole movement," Wilson said. "It doesn't reflect the values of the Albertans I know that support independence from all walks of life."

The Alberta Prosperity Project unveiled their "Foundation of Freedom" draft constitution, structured around a supreme constitutional power and a republic-style government. The document has also drawn criticism from other groups within the separatist camp.