Alberta Group Can Start Collecting Signatures for Separation Referendum: Elections Alberta

The Canadian Press/Adrian Wyld

Elections Alberta says a group supporting Alberta independence can start collecting signatures to hold an upcoming referendum on Alberta separating from Canada.

The announcement comes several weeks after the province’s non-partisan electoral body approved a petition question from the Alberta Prosperity Project (APP) on whether or not Alberta should become an independent nation. The APP will now have from Jan. 3 to May 2 to collect 177,732 signatures in order for a referendum to be held.

The petition question for which signatures will be being gathered asks, “Do you agree that the province of Alberta should cease to be a part of Canada to become an independent state?”

APP CEO Mitch Sylvestre has previously stated that a referendum is required because of Ottawa’s regulations on oil and gas development in Alberta as well as the province’s low chances of seeing a significant change at the federal level that are more favourable to its interests.

A survey conducted by Leger last May found that 29 percent of Albertans support their province becoming an independent country, while 5 percent were undecided and the rest were opposed.

For her part, Alberta Premier Danielle Smith has consistently said she does not support Alberta separating from Canada, but has said her United Conservative Party government will allow a referendum on Alberta secession to be voted on if it meets all the requirements to be put to a vote.

Smith has also said she is optimistic about Alberta’s concerns being heard more fully by Ottawa, following talks and the signing of a memorandum of understanding (MOU) several months ago.

Alberta and Ottawa signed an MOU on Nov. 27, 2025, proposing to build one or more pipelines to carry Alberta crude oil to the B.C. coast. The MOU also proposes to suspend the Clean Electricity Regulations in Alberta, lift a proposed oil and gas emissions cap, simplify and speed up environmental review processes, and adjust the oil tanker ban on B.C.’s north coast as necessary. 

In order for the APP referendum to proceed, the petition first needs to meet the signature requirement, after which the government of Alberta would set a referendum date. The results would be determined by a simple majority (over 50 percent) voting either yes or no.

If the majority votes in favour of separation, Alberta and Ottawa would then have a mutual political obligation to negotiate.

Due to rulings from the Supreme Court of Canada and the federal Clarity Act, the House of Commons would determine whether the referendum question was clear and whether the results indicate a “clear majority.” If the answer to both was deemed yes, Ottawa would then enter into more detailed negotiations with Alberta and other provinces affected by a potential secession.

The APP wrote in a Jan. 2 release that the “precise wording” of its petition question “aligns directly with the federal Clarity Act, ensuring a clear path to constitutional negotiations in the event of a yes vote in a future referendum.”

Full separation would require a constitutional amendment, which would likely involve approval from Parliament and a majority of Canada’s provinces—or possibly unanimous consent depending on what the amendment specifies—to vote to approve Alberta’s separation.

If all these steps were achieved, it is then likely a second referendum would go back to Albertans confirming their desire to separate before the province would be permitted to formally separate from the country.

Carolina Avendano and Omid Ghoreishi contributed to this report.