Alberta independence supporters rallied outside the legislature on Saturday ahead of the province’s 121st birthday. The Alberta Prosperity Project and its boosters are counting down the days to an Oct. 19 referendum that will include a separation-related question on the ballot. The steps of the legislature were awash in flags and Shania Twain played from speakers as a large group gathered ahead of Alberta Day, which falls on Tuesday. “We’re excited because we’re having a conversation about how we can make Alberta and Canada better,” group proponent Mitch Sylvestre said at the event. “There’s no consequence to voting for us in this vote. I think we should take the opportunity … and see if we can get a better deal for Albertans.” The Alberta Prosperity Project, headed by Sylvestre under the name Stay Free Alberta, filed a petition pushing for a referendum question asking if Alberta should cease to be a part of Canada and become an independent state. Premier Danielle Smith has called a vote for Oct. 19, but her ballot will instead ask Albertans whether the province should remain in Canada or hold a second, binding referendum on leaving the country. Petitioners on both sides have pushed back against Smith’s approach. Jeff Rath, a separatist leader and a strong voice throughout legal battles, said recent trade war negotiations between Canada and the U.S. highlight the need for Alberta’s independence. “The good news for us is every day that (Prime Minister Mark) Carney opens his mouth, every day that Danielle Smith opens her mouth … the more and more Albertans realize that there’s no place for Alberta in Canada,” he said Saturday. Rath has previously accused Smith of betraying separatist UCP members, misleading Albertans and undermining the province’s position in Ottawa. He said Saturday that the Alberta government may use oil and gas as a bargaining chip in the trade war, which would be “absolutely contrary to the interests of everybody in the province.” Smith has previously taken the export of Alberta’s energy resources off the table in the ongoing tariff negotiations between the two countries, saying it would spell economic disaster for both eastern and western Canada. Referendum timeline unclear Earlier this week, Smith said she was still examining how best to approach a binding referendum on separation should October’s vote fall in favour of leaving the country. She had previously said the province could call a second referendum as early as next spring, but legislation dictates no referendum can be held within a year of a general election. Alberta’s next general election is set to happen next October. Opposition NDP Leader Naheed Nenshi and others against the referendum have called for the upcoming fall vote to be put off or completely cancelled. Thomas Lukaszuk, organizer of the pro-federalist Forever Canadian petition to keep Alberta in Canada, called for Smith to defer the vote in light of the trade war launched by U.S. President Donald Trump. The NDP held a “Vote for Canada” rally in Calgary, also on Saturday. Smith is set to speak at an Alberta Day event in Calgary on Sunday. Alberta officially became a Canadian province on Sept. 1, 1905. With files from Fakiha Baig, The Canadian Press, and CTV News Edmonton’s Curtis Goodrum and Galen McDougall
