Prime Minister Mark Carney asserted that Alberta was “essential” to Canada’s future, hours after the province’s leader moved the oil-rich region closer to a referendum on independence.
Separatists in Alberta spent months collecting signatures to trigger a binding October vote to secede from the nation. On May 4, they delivered their petition to provincial officials, insisting they had collected more than enough names to force a vote under Alberta law.
But an Alberta judge shut down the process, saying the citizens’ initiative was invalid because the separatists had failed to consult with Indigenous groups whose rights could be threatened if the province separated from Canada.
In an address late Thursday, Alberta Premier Danielle Smith called the judge’s decision “erroneous,” charging that it “interferes with the democratic rights of hundreds of thousands of Albertans.”
Smith, a conservative whose political coalition includes separatists, said she supports “Alberta remaining in Canada.”
But she insisted she would not let “a legal mistake by a single judge” quash a debate that needed to take place.
“It’s time to have a vote, understand the will of Albertans on this subject, and move on.”
Smith said she had structured her question such that it does not violate the judge’s ruling, because it “does not directly trigger separation.”
In October, she plans to ask Albertans if they want her government “to commence the legal process necessary to hold a binding referendum” on independence.
Carney, who spent most of his childhood in Alberta, responded on Friday in a taped video address from Parliament Hill.
“Canada is the greatest country in the world, but it can be better, and we’re working on making it better. We’re working with Alberta on making it better,” he said.
Alberta is essential to Canada’s future, he added.
Polls show that nearly 30% of Alberta’s five million people support independence, a record-high figure.
The separatist camp accuses Ottawa of stifling Alberta’s oil industry through excessive federal influence, while blocking investment due to what they view as unreasonable environmental concerns.
Carney and Smith are working together to advance a new oil pipeline, a move resisted by Carney’s predecessor, Justin Trudeau. Smith has voiced hope that increased federal support for the oil industry could help tame separatist anger.
Why Alberta Wants to Leave Canada
Alberta is Canada’s oil-rich province.
At the heart of Alberta’s grievances is the disparity between its massive contribution to the Canadian economy and the returns it receives. Alberta’s energy sector — dominated by oil sands — generates massive federal tax revenue, but the province has not received equalization payments since the 1960s.
Many Albertans view the equalization program as unfair: their province subsidizes other regions while facing federal policies that hinder its primary industry.
Federal environmental regulations have heightened these tensions. Policies like carbon taxes, emissions caps on oil and gas, the cancellation or delay of major pipeline projects, and “net-zero” targets are seen by many as direct attacks on Alberta’s economy.
Critics say the Ottawa cares more about climate change goals than about protecting jobs in Alberta’s oil industry. Many Albertans still remember the National Energy Program of the 1980s as a painful example of Ottawa’s interference that badly hurt the province’s economy.
On the political side, Alberta’s conservative values often clash with federal policies. Topics like gun rights, immigration, and pandemic rules have made many people in the province feel ignored and disconnected.
Supporters of Alberta’s independence or greater autonomy argue that its unique identity — hardworking, business-friendly, and focused on resource development — is not properly represented in Ottawa, where the much larger populations of Ontario and Quebec hold most of the power.
The path to independence is fraught with obstacles. Legally, separation would require complex constitutional negotiations, including the federal Clarity Act. Economically, experts warn it could be disastrous — losing access to Canadian markets, currency instability, and trade complications.
The Alberta independence movement is less about cultural nationalism (as in Quebec) and more about economic frustration.
With Agence France-Presse Inputs
