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Alberta Premier Proposes Legislation Easing Path to Secession Referendum

A rally at the Alberta Legislature highlights growing separatist sentiment, but First Nations leaders emphasize treaty rights cannot be overridden.

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People gather in support of Alberta becoming its own nation, or the 51st state, during a rally at the Alberta Legislature Building in Edmonton on Saturday.
Jeff Olsen is photographed at his business, Innisfail Bowling Lanes, in Innisfail on Wednesday, April 30, 2025. He voted for Grant Abraham of the United Party of Canada in the federal election two days earlier. A longtime separatist, Olsen says he hopes the Liberal minority government will spark broader conversations about Alberta separation. (Sarah B Groot/The Globe and Mail)

Overview

  • Premier Danielle Smith's government has introduced legislation to lower the procedural threshold for holding a secession referendum in Alberta.
  • Hundreds of Albertans gathered at the Legislature on May 3 to advocate for independence, citing political marginalization and federal energy policies as key grievances.
  • Some rally participants displayed U.S. flags, signaling interest in Alberta potentially joining the United States as its 51st state.
  • First Nations leaders, including Piikani Nation Chief Troy Knowlton, assert that treaty obligations with the federal government cannot be unilaterally altered or ignored by Alberta.
  • Premier Smith reiterated her respect for treaty rights, emphasizing that they remain enshrined independently of any provincial actions toward autonomy.