Alberta government’s stance on separatism continues to confuse province

Karra Smith, Staff Writer

Following the 2026 Conservative Party Convention in Calgary, more questions are being raised about where the premier and the Alberta government stand on the topic of separation. 

While speaking to CTV reporter Vassy Kapelos on Feb. 1, Smith said, “I don’t police the responses of my MLAs, they can sign whatever petition that they want.”

Smith goes on to say the approach of her and her caucus is to support a sovereign Alberta within a united Canada. 

However, some politicians are speaking up about their discontent with the premier and her stance on separatism. 

Former Alberta Premier Jason Kenney told CBC that the current United Conservative Party (UCP) government should not be signing any petition aimed at forcing Alberta’s separation. 

“If that’s how you were elected, you have no business signing a petition to separate the country, and I sure hope that’s not the case,” Kenney said.

Heather McPherson, MP for Edmonton Strathcona, has also voiced her concerns with Smith and the separation movement. 

“Every single person who has been elected to represent people in Alberta, including myself, should be very explicit on their position,” McPherson said. “I’m disappointed that the premier has not done that.”

McPherson says that the ongoing rhetoric about separation and a lack of leadership from Smith could be “extraordinarily dangerous” for Alberta.

“We need to have our premier be replaced because frankly she is doing a horrendous job protecting our province and protecting our economy,” she said. 

In comparison, some Albertans feel that the current federal government is at a standstill with their concerns, and this petition is the only way to be heard. 

Michelle Sharuga is one Albertan in favour of independence for the province. She says that although she is proud of the country she comes from, change is needed. 

“I love Canada. I love being Canadian, but it’s just been such a disappointment for so long,” Sharuga said. 

Another supporter of the separatist movement is Scott Craft. He says that listening to parents in the media talk about their kids’ future struggles is what pushed him to root for an independent Alberta. 

“That really hits home for me. I have nieces and nephews who are teenagers, and I’d like to see them have a better life,” he said. 

Craft also says that whether the movement is successful or not, the conversation around Albertans’ concerns needs to be addressed.

“It might not happen overnight, or it might not happen at all, but I think that having the dialogue is important,” he said.

Discussions over the legal concerns of separation have also risen to the top of the heated debates, with some questioning how the Indigenous treaties across the province would be respected. 

The Alberta separatist movement has been met with criticism by other Canadian
conservatives, including Ontario Premier Doug Ford and former prime minister
Stephen Harper. Photo courtesy of Pexels

At a press conference on Jan. 29, chiefs from Treaties 6, 7 and 8 came together to publicly denounce the push for Alberta’s separation. 

“What we’re seeing here in Alberta is disregard for our treaties. There’s not an understanding here of how Alberta became a province, and how a treaty had to happen before Alberta could become a province,” said Treaty 8 First Nations of Alberta Grand Chief Trevor Mercredi.

“Our Treaty rights are non-negotiable. They cannot be set aside by petitions, referendums, or political movements, whether citizen-led or government-enabled,” the Blood Tribe wrote in a press release following the conference. 

Although the outcome of the independence movement is unknown, McPherson says that when it comes to addressing issues happening on both a provincial and federal level, working together is the only path. 

“You work to make sure that you solve those different regional challenges. You work together, and you strengthen the country together,” she said. “You don’t put up a website and threaten to go join the United States at a moment of national sovereignty crisis, [or] at a moment of economic crisis across the country.”

McPherson goes on to say that the petition itself is childish and disappointing, and using Albertans’ concerns about their position within the federation as fuel is “treasonous and dangerous.”

“It’s dangerous when you play with fire, and Danielle Smith is playing with fire right now,” says McPherson.