‘I believe in Alberta’: Jann Arden says she stands by anti-separatist rant

Jann Arden poses in Toronto on Thursday, Jan. 30, 2025. THE CANADIAN PRESS/Frank Gunn

TORONTO — Jann Arden says she stands by a fiery social media video she made earlier this year ripping into Alberta separatists.

The Calgary-based pop singer opened up to a group of interviewers for the upcoming CBC series “The Assembly,” saying that despite backlash and “low-key death threats,” she doesn’t regret her decision to push back against the “very fringe group.”

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In May, the Juno-winning musician drew attention for an expletive-fuelled TikTok post where she called Alberta separatists “an embarrassment to this country.”

“The Assembly” is adapted from a French TV program where notable public figures agree to face probing questions from a group of autistic adults.

Asked by one interviewer if she regrets her post, she stood her ground.

The 63-year-old performer says it was important for her to speak up for what she believes in, which is Alberta “as part of Canada.”

“I believe in Alberta being much better as part of Canada, one of the best countries in the world to live in,” she said in an advance copy of the episode provided to the media.

“We have issues that we need to sort out, but we need to do that together.”

Arden faces an array of other questions on the episode, including about her brother who was convicted of murder in the 1990s, which animal she would choose to shapeshift into, and her memory of being robbed as a young busker.

The show premieres Nov. 6 on CBC with a Howie Mandel interview, while Arden’s episode airs on Nov. 13. It was shot over the summer in Vancouver.

This report by The Canadian Press was first published Oct. 30, 2025.

David Friend, The Canadian Press