Edmonton (Canada) (AFP) – Alberta separatists on Monday handed authorities the signatures of a petition which should pave the way for a historic vote in the fall on the possible secession of this oil province in western Canada.

Published on: 05/05/2026 - 10:19

Under the encouragement of the crowd, who waved huge blue flags in the colors of the province, the separatists placed in front of the Elections Canada offices piles of boxes containing, according to them, the signatures of more than 300,000 Albertans in favor of holding a vote.

“We are not like the rest of Canada,” their leader, Mitch Sylvestre, told AFP, who now hopes to obtain the first vote ever organized on this issue.

“We are 100% conservative and we are governed by liberals who do not think like us,” he continued, accusing them in particular of wanting to close the oil industry.

Long marginal, the independence camp in this region of five million inhabitants has gained momentum in recent months. Although they remain a minority in Alberta, according to polls, the separatists now reach a level of around 30%, a record.

Even if this movement were to lose the possible referendum, the leaders of both camps affirm that it has already moved the lines.

“Trudeau regime”

Alberta joined the Canadian confederation in 1905, and resentments toward eastern political leaders in Ontario and Quebec fueled fringe separatist movements at various points in the last century.

But separatism really took off in response to former Prime Minister Pierre Elliott Trudeau's 1980 National Energy Program, which strengthened government control over the oil industry.

To counter the oil shocks of the 1970s, the government then implemented price controls for oil sales on the domestic market and new taxes allowing Ottawa to derive more revenue from Alberta oil.

Since then, the movement has taken deeper roots, said Michael Wagner, an independent historian and longtime supporter of Alberta independence.

“Even if we lose the referendum, the movement is not going to magically disappear,” he told AFP, also speaking of a profound change underway in the province and in Canada.

For Tammy Kaleta, who was in the crowd Monday, it was the “Trudeau regime” – both Pierre Elliott and his son, Justin – that pushed her towards independence.

She believes that Alberta does not have "its voice" in the current Canadian parliamentary system. And then, “this movement really inspired me,” confided the 64-year-old woman.

The Trump factor

Former Deputy Prime Minister of Alberta and activist opposed to independence, Thomas Lukaszuk is worried about the rise of separatists.

To counter them, he created the group "Alberta Forever Canadian". He believes that the opposite camp was encouraged by the province's conservative Premier, Danielle Smith, who sought to strengthen ties with American President Donald Trump.

According to him, tacit support from Washington, notably through several meetings at the State Department, also played a role.

"The separatists are not elected officials. They are simple Canadian citizens living in Alberta, and yet they have been received at the highest levels of the American administration. This must be extremely rewarding for them," he added.

In January, American Finance Minister Scott Bessent seemed to support the idea of ​​an independent Alberta by speaking of a "natural partner for the United States", as if it were a country in its own right.

Mr. Lukaszuk recognizes, however, that some separatists have legitimate grievances that Ottawa should try to address, including the stigmatization of an oil industry which remains an essential source of revenue in the province.

The one who moved to Canada as a child with his family fleeing communist Poland, says he has difficulty recognizing his province: "Neighbors no longer speak to each other, members of the same family no longer speak to each other."

He claims to have "never seen this province as divided as today."

© 2026 AFP

The content you are trying to access does not exist or is no longer available.