Canada’s Alberta Premier Danielle Smith said Monday she would hold a referendum for the province’s departure from the Great White North if a citizens petition obtains the necessary signatures for a vote.
“To be clear from the outset, our government will not be putting a vote on separation from Canada on the referendum ballot; however, if there is a successful citizen-led referendum petition that is able to gather the requisite number of signatures requesting such a question to be put to a referendum, our government will respect the democratic process and include that question on the 2026 provincial referendum ballot as well,” she said during her public address, according to the government’s transcript.
Throughout her remarks, Smith said she opposed secession but slammed the federal government for “political attacks” on the region, which is rich in oil and other natural resources.
“Our province has contributed hundreds of billions of dollars more to the federal treasury for use in other parts of the country than we’ll ever receive back in benefits,” she said.
The premier said anti-energy, anti-agriculture and anti-resource development policies “have scared away global investment” to the tune of more than a half-trillion dollars.
Her discontent comes amid the Trump administration’s quips urging Canada to become the 51st state, which some Albertans say is the best path forward.
“My dream scenario is a bit like the example of the United Kingdom, where Alberta, or perhaps all of Canada, would be like Scotland. We would be connected and unified with the United States, but we would maintain a very distinct society,” Robert Low, an Alberta resident, told the National Observer.
The country’s new prime minister, Mark Carney, has sharply opposed the idea, as did his predecessor, Justin Trudeau.
Smith said she met with Carney earlier this year and noted that their conversation was “promising.” However, Smith said she would wait to judge the leader on his actions rather than his words.
In her address, she said, “I will in good faith work with Prime Minister Mark Carney on unwinding the mountain of destructive legislation and policies that have ravaged our provincial and national economies this past decade — until I see tangible proof of real change — Alberta will be taking steps to better protect ourselves from Ottawa.”
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