Alberta separatism comprises a series of 20th- and 21st-century movements advocating the secession of the province of Alberta from Canada, with some groups supporting the creation of a sovereign union with the other provinces of Western Canada or Alberta joining the United States as a state or territory.
The main issues driving separatist sentiment have been the power disparity relative to Ottawa and other western provinces; a sense of distinctiveness with regards to Alberta's cultural and political identity; and Canadian fiscal policy, particularly as it pertains to Alberta's petroleum industry.
The concept of separation has gained considerable media attention in the aftermath of the 2025 federal election, which resulted in a fourth consecutive Liberal victory.
History
Foundations
Alberta was established as a province on September 1, 1905.[1] Alberta separatism comes from the belief that Albertans are culturally and economically distinct from the rest of Canada, particularly Central Canada and Atlantic Canada. Separatists often note the fact that Alberta is a net over-contributor to the system of equalization payments in Canada.[2] Furthermore, the majority of Alberta's trade flows are north–south with the United States through Montana, rather than east–west with the rest of Canada.
1930s separatism and the Alberta Social Credit Party
Aberhart and his cabinet in 1935A prosperity certificate
Separatism emerged in the 1930s within the Social Credit Party, which formed the Government of Alberta after the 1935 election. William Aberhart and Ernest Manning created the Social Credit Party with the aim of bringing financial relief to Albertans who were suffering because of the Great Depression. The party's success was fuelled by a wave of resentment at the federal Liberal Prime Minister William Lyon Mackenzie King, who had said that he "would not give a five-cent piece" to non-Liberal provincial governments for unemployment relief.[3] The federal government deemed implementing a form of social credit unconstitutional and invoked its rarely used power of disallowance under Section 56 of the British North America Act, 1867, thereby voiding provincial legislation. Premier Aberhart secured provincially-owned banks and distribution of prosperity certificates. Aberhart's followers called for separation from Canada, but Aberhart himself counselled moderation and rejected secession. The separatist movement was ridiculed by the media as a fringe movement of the uneducated.[4] Manning, however, had been a devoutly loyal supporter of Aberhart from the very beginning. He honoured Aberhart's 1935 promise to issue a prosperity certificate to Albertans twice. In 1957, his government announced a $20 oil royalty dividend and issued a $17 dividend the next year.[5]
1940s to 1960s: after World War II, monopolies, Alberta gas
Leduc No. 1 well after striking oil.
The discovery of vast reserves of oil ushered in a twenty-year period of intense exploration, new discoveries, and rapid expansion of Alberta's oil industry. In 1948, Imperial Oil discovered the Redwater oil reserve, 64km (40mi.) northeast of Edmonton. By 1953 the oil field supported 926 wells and was producing almost 30 per cent of the entire province's output.[6] In 1949 alone, twelve new oil fields were discovered, from the Leduc-Edmonton-Redwater region to the southern Alberta, as well as in extreme northwestern Alberta. Many of the fields were found by Imperial Oil, but other major oil companies, such as British-American oil, Gulf, Anglo-Canadian, and Home Oil, also experienced incredible success.[7][6] But Alberta was still was "heavily rural and bitter with western grievance. Freight rates and protectionism made economic diversification in the prairies all but impossible. It was said to be cheaper to send cows and grain to be slaughtered in Ontario than it was to ship meat."[8]
According to political scientists David Elton and Roger Gibbins, a 1969 provincial poll found that only 5 per cent of those polled "expressed interest in even discussing the merits of separation."[9]
1970s: Oil crises
In the 1970s, the world experienced two major oil crises. The first, the 1973 oil crisis, coincided with the Yom-Kippur War: the decision by the US to support Israel in the conflict caused retaliation by Egypt and Syria, enacting an oil embargo that resulted in Alberta receiving substantially less price for oil than the global market prices dictated.[10] The second oil crisis came in 1979, in the wake of the Iranian Revolution.[11] Some members of the Organization of Petroleum Exporting Countries (OPEC) and a few similarly minded oil-rich nations had ceased all oil exports to the United States and countries that supported Israel. In both cases, the price of oil sold to North America spiked and service stations ran out of fuel; long lines were evident at gas stations across North America.
The Alberta government and the Canadian federal government responded politically to address oil reserves and conservation of petroleum resources. In 1971, the Alberta provincial government, headed by Harry Strom, created an environmental ministry, the first of its kind, with a mandate to manage and conserve Alberta's natural resources.[12] Federally, in 1974, the Office of Energy Conservation was created. Conflict arose between Alberta and Canada after the 1973 crisis, over the management and distribution of Alberta's oil resources, and financial wealth. Nevertheless, support for independence remained a fringe phenomenon. A 1974 survey conducted in Calgary found less than four per cent of respondents "expressed even the most cautious support for separatism"; three years later, 1977 survey by the Calgary Herald found that only 2.7 per cent of Albertans supported independence.[9]
Support for separatism spiked sharply after Pierre Trudeau became prime minister once again after the 1980 federal election. A 1981 poll by the Canada West Foundation found that 49% agreed that "Western Canadians get so few benefits from being part of Canada that they might as well go it on their own."[9]
Due to the high oil prices of the 1970s Alberta experienced a boom in its oil sector and the entire economy as a whole. In October 1980, the National Energy Program (NEP) was created by the federal government under Prime Minister Trudeau, and support for Alberta separatism and anger toward the federal government reached new level of popular support. Trudeau introduced a 25% tax to Alberta's oil.[13] After the introduction of the NEP, Alberta's oil industry collapsed, with a drastic reduction in the number of oil wells drilled. Abandonment of major projects such as oilsands caused high unemployment in Alberta. The Petroleum Incentives Program, part of the NEP, was criticized for luring exploration capital away from Alberta.[citation needed] With natural resources falling constitutionally within the domain of provincial jurisdictions, many Albertans viewed the NEP as a detrimental intrusion by the federal government into the province's affairs.[14] Edmonton economist Scarfe argued that for people in Western Canada, especially Alberta, the NEP was perceived to be at their expense in benefiting the eastern provinces.[15]
Long-term oil prices, 1861–2007 (top line adjusted for inflation)
The 1980s oil glut led worldwide oil prices to tank, making Albertan oil uneconomical even in Eastern Canada, causing it to instead purchase foreign oil. This discredited the NEP – as "self-sufficiency" was one of its touted goals. Even though the NEP was often seen as an economic catastrophe, the NEP was never overturned by Trudeau's government, staying in place until 1985.
Alberta still initially enjoyed an economic surplus due to high oil prices, but the surplus was heavily reduced by the NEP, which, in turn, stymied many of Premier Peter Lougheed's policies for economic diversification to reduce Alberta's dependence on the cyclical energy industry, such as the Alberta Heritage Savings Trust Fund, and also left the province with an infrastructure deficit. In particular, the Alberta Heritage Fund was meant to save as much of the earnings during high oil prices to act as a "rainy day" cushion if oil prices collapsed because of the cyclical nature of the oil and gas industry. The NEP was one reason that the fund failed to grow to its full potential.[8] A popular slogan that appeared on bumper stickers was "Let the Eastern bastards freeze in the dark." Other bumpers stated "I'd rather push this thing a mile than buy gas from PetroCan."[16][17]
In 1980, Doug Christie, a British Columbia lawyer, formed the Western Canada Concept (WCC) in an effort to promote Western separatism. That same year, 2,700 people gathered for a rally at the Jubilee Auditorium in Edmonton, to listen to a speech from Christie.[18] In 1982, Gordon Kesler was elected to the Alberta legislature in a by-election in Olds-Didsbury as a candidate of the WCC and attracted national attention.[19] In addition, the Western Canada Federation (West-Fed) was founded, led by Edmonton businessman Elmer Knutson, who was credited with inspiring the transformation of Western alienation ideas into a political movement.[20] Knutson denied being a separatist, but West-Fed was widely regarded as a separatist organization.
In response, Lougheed called a snap election to catch the new parties off-guard. In the ensuing 1982 provincial election, the WCC won almost 12% of the popular vote (over 111,000 votes), but Kesler was defeated after changing ridings, and no other candidate was elected. The WCC still managed a strong third-place showing in another by-election, in Spirit River-Fairview, held in 1985.[21]
Mulroney in 1984
The WCC's popularity declined after the Progressive Conservative Party, led by Brian Mulroney, won a majority government in the 1984 federal election. Under Mulroney, the NEP was rapidly dismantled, and Albertans had new hope for achieving a better-negotiated resource wealth distribution. This caused the Alberta separatist movement to dissipate significantly. However, by the end of his time in office, Mulroney was seen as similarly neglectful of Western Canada.[22]
In 1987, Preston Manning founded Reform Party of Canada, a right-wing populist federal party focused on Western alienation. Although not a separatist party, Reform would attract many Albertans that were separatists. The Reform Party existed from 1987 to 2000, when it merged into the Canadian Alliance. In 2003, the Alliance merged with the Progressive Conservative Party to form the modern-day Conservative Party of Canada. These mergers left a void to those interested in furthering separatist principles.
2000s: Reform and Conservative Parties
In 2000, the Alberta Independence Party was founded.[23] Although unable to gather enough signatures to qualify as a registered party, it stood 14 candidates (as independents) in the 2001 Alberta general election. They won 7,500 votes between them. None were elected. Ultimately, the party ended up disbanding by the end of the year.[24][25] Another separatist party, the Separation Party of Alberta, ran in the 2004 general election. It nominated 12 candidates who won 4,680 votes, 0.5% of the provincial total. No candidates were elected.
There was significant opposition within Alberta to the Kyoto Protocol as the Kyoto treaty was believed to have negative effects on the provincial economy, which is based to a large degree on the oil and gas industry. (Alberta had the world's second largest proven reserves of oil, behind only Saudi Arabia.[26])
Albertan Stephen Harper became Prime Minister of Canada in a minority government in the 2006 federal election. Harper had been a significant figure in the Reform Party and was leader of the Canadian Alliance from 2002 until its merger with the PCs. Due to Harper's Reform roots, Albertans held faith that he would be the trusted figure to protect Alberta's interests. As a result, Alberta's separatist movement sat on the side-lines, with uncertain prospects. Some pundits predicted that this result would cause support for separatism to ebb away.
The notion of Alberta secession from Canada gained sympathy from some figures within Alberta's conservative parties. Mark Norris, who was one of the contenders to succeed Ralph Klein as the Alberta premier, told the Calgary Sun in March 2006 that under his leadership, if a future federal government persisted in bringing in policies harmful to Alberta such as a carbon tax, "(Alberta is) going to take steps to secede."[27]
Also, some politicians believe, and at least one poll indicated that a much larger portion of the Alberta population may be at least sympathetic to the notion of secession than was indicated by election results. In January 2004, Premier Ralph Klein told the Canadian edition of Reader's Digest that one in four Albertans were in support of separation. An August 2005 poll commissioned by the Western Standard pegged support for the idea that "Western Canadians should begin to explore the idea of forming their own country" at 42% in Alberta and 35.6% across the four Western provinces.[28]
Former Prime Minister Justin Trudeau was highly unpopular in Alberta
Support for Albertan separatism has increased significantly with the Canadian federal election victory of Justin Trudeau's Liberal Party on October 19, 2015.[29][30][31] Trudeau, the son of Pierre Trudeau, became prime minister with a majority government, and re-inspired the Alberta separatist movement.[citation needed] While speaking at a town hall in Peterborough, Ontario, on January 13, 2017, Trudeau said, "We can't shut down the oil sands tomorrow. We need to phase them out. We need to manage the transition off of our dependence on fossil fuels. That is going to take time."[32] The next day at a Calgary vs Edmonton hockey game in Edmonton, Trudeau was loudly booed by the crowd.[33] His unpopularity in Alberta is a significant rallying point for Alberta separatists. The topic of Alberta separating from Canada is the subject of a number of mainstream media reports.[34][30][31]
Geopolitical analyst Peter Zeihan in his 2014 book The Accidental Superpower presented reasons why he believed both Alberta and the United States would benefit from Alberta joining the United States as the 51st state.[35][30][31] On page 263 of his book he says:
The core issue is pretty simple. While the Québécois—and to a slightly lesser degree the rest of Canada—now need Alberta to maintain their standard of living, the Albertans now need not to be a part of Canada in order to maintain theirs.
Zeihan also stated: "Right now, every man, woman and child in Alberta pays $6,000 more into the national budget than they get back. Alberta is the only province that is a net contributor to that budget — by 2020, the number will exceed $20,000 per person, $40,000 per taxpayer. That will be the greatest wealth transfer in per capita terms in the Western world."[31] Per Statistics Canada, in 2015 Alberta paid $27billion more into the federal treasury than it received back in services.[36] Authors[who?] writing for Vice News said: "Anywhere else in the world, this would be a secessionist crisis ... There is no other place in the world where you have one province that is lightly populated but very rich, that doesn't have a certain degree of rebellion. The redistribution system that Canada has with the transfer payments, anywhere else would have social instability. But to be blunt, Canadians are just too damn polite."[37]
A September 2018 poll by Ipsos indicated that 62% of Albertans believe that Alberta "does not get its fair share from Confederation" (up from 45% in 1997), 46% feel "more attached to their province than to their country" (up from 39% in 1997), 34% "feel less committed to Canada than I did a few years ago" (up from 22% in 1997), 18% believe "the views of western Canadians are adequately represented in Ottawa" (down from 22% in 2001), and 25% believe "My province would be better off if it separated from Canada" (up from 19% in 2001).[38][39]
A February 2019 poll from Angus Reid found 50% of Albertans would support secession from Canada but also found the likelihood that Alberta would separate to be "remote."[40]
After Trudeau's Liberals were re-elected with a minority government on October 21, 2019, in the Canadian federal election, #Wexit (a wordplay on "Brexit", the United Kingdom's departure from the European Union) trended on social media.[41] However, experts and an analysis from Hill+Knowlton Strategies, demonstrated that part of the push was due to disinformation and bots.[42][43] On November 4, 2019, the separation group "Wexit Alberta" applied for federal political party status.[44] On November 6, 2019, a poll conducted by Ipsos show a historic high of interest of secession from Canada in both Alberta and Saskatchewan by 33% and 27%, respectively.[45][46] On January 12, 2020, Wexit Canada was granted eligibility for the next federal election.[47]
A May 2020 poll by Northwest Research for Derek Fildebrandt's Western Standard found that 41% of respondents would support independence in a referendum, 50% would be opposed, and 9% were not sure.[48] Removing undecideds, 45% would support and 55% would be opposed. Respondents were also asked if they would support a referendum if "the federal government is unwilling to negotiate with Alberta on a new constitutional arrangement", 48% said yes, while 52% said no. Support for independence was higher outside of Alberta's two biggest cities, with Edmonton being the most opposed.
Debates before and after the 2025 federal election
In the lead up to the 2025 federal election, politicians and activists in Alberta voiced that a win for the Liberal Party, which by then had been in power for almost 10 years, would considerably increase support for Alberta independence. The rise in support for the Liberal Party in Eastern Canada was in part a response to the call by United States President Donald Trump for all of Canada to be annexed into the United States. While still opposed by the majority of Canadians in and outside of Alberta, support for annexation is greater in Alberta (primarily in rural Alberta) than other provinces, as some residents see greater cultural and economic connections with the United States than they do with Eastern Canada.[49]
In May 2025, Alberta Premier Danielle Smith said she would hold a referendum on provincial separation in 2026 if citizens gather the required signatures on a petition. While Smith said that she is not a supporter of separatism herself, she also made it easier for Alberta to hold referendums with the passage of Bill 54.[50][51]
On May 12, 2025, Jeffrey Rath, lawyer for the separatist Alberta Prosperity Project, presented his group's proposed question for a referendum on Alberta separation. The question read: "Do you agree that the Province of Alberta shall become a sovereign country and cease to be a province of Canada?"[52] The group seeks the Alberta government to hold a referendum on the matter by the end of 2025.
Individuals who support independence or greater separation from Canada cite economic and political reasons (resource and energy management, taxation, and federal policies) as their main motivation.[54] Modern Alberta Separatism is also different from the Quebec sovereignty movement because it is supported by those on the right almost exclusively, while in Quebec supporters are on the left and right. According to an Angus Reid poll 65% of United Conservative Party voters would vote for separation while 97% of Alberta NDP would vote to stay in Canada. Also, many Albertans polled say they would lose support for separation if the federal government had more oil-and-gas-friendly policy such as building pipelines or repealing energy regulations, suggesting the desire to separate is primarily economic in nature unlike the movement in Quebec.[55]
On July 4, 2025, the Alberta Prosperity Project filed a CIP application for a potential referendum on the issue.[56] Citizens can submit a potential petition question under Alberta's Citizen Initiative Act (passed in 2021, amended in 2025). If enough signatures are gathered, the government is forced to introduce legislation in the legislature (not necessarily to pass such into law) or to hold a referendum (with no mention that such a referendum would be binding on the government). However, Alberta Prosperity Project's question has been challenged as unconstitutional and is under review by the Court.[57]
Some economists also express fears that talk of separatism could discourage investment in the province and make it harder to negotiate for energy infrastructure.[58]
Bill 54 and referendums
On April 29, 2025, Alberta's government introduced Bill 54—the Election Statutes Amendment Act—aiming to make it easier for citizens to initiate referendums—including on provincial separation from Canada—by lowering participation thresholds.[59] It streamlined Jason Kenney's 2021 Citizen Initiative Act. The legislation has been controversial, especially among Indigenous leaders, who raised concerns that a separation referendum could threaten their existing treaty rights.[59] In response, Premier Danielle Smith's government made late-stage amendments to clarify that no referendum question will be permitted to jeopardize those treaty rights. Justice Minister Mickey Amery acknowledged the government's commitment to protecting these rights after feedback from First Nations representatives.[59] Bill 54 received royal assent and was enacted on May 15, 2025.[60] Bill 54 lowered the threshold for triggering citizen initiative petitions (CIP) from 20% of eligible voters to 10% of votes cast in the previous election. This makes it much easier to initiate referendums, including on provincial sovereignty or separation.[61] It also extends the signature-gathering period for petitions from 90 days to 120 days.[61]
Alberta Prosperity Project's 2025 CIP
On July 5, 2025, Mitch Sylvestre, on behalf of the Alberta Prosperity Project, submitted a citizen initiative petition to Elections Alberta for Alberta independence.[62] The CIP question proposed is: "Do you agree that the province of Alberta shall become a sovereign country and cease to be a province in Canada?"[63] Alberta chief electoral officer Gordon McClure referred the question to the Court of King's Bench of Alberta to ensure it did not violate the Constitution.[63][64] The Alberta Prosperity Project requested that this review be quashed, but that was denied by the court on August 14. The court will proceed with a full review starting in November.[65]
Opposition from First Nations
Meanwhile, the Confederacy of Treaty No. 6 First Nations announced on August 15, 2025, that it will file an application to intervene in the courts against the proposed referendum question.[65] In solidarity with other First Nations in Alberta, including those under Treaty 7 and Treaty 8, the Confederacy of Treaty No.6 stated that the question of Alberta separation is unconstitutional, illegal, and represents a threat to the treaties. Separation would be a breach of the Crown’s treaty commitments to First Nations as set out in Treaty 6, according to a media release.[65]
The Confederacy further declared its unwavering opposition to separatist rhetoric and the idea that Alberta could consider separating from Canada, emphasizing that such an initiative constitutes a direct violation of treaty rights, which are sacred and legally binding. The proposed referendum is also described as unconstitutional, posing a clear threat to Section 35 of the Constitution Act, 1982, which protects First Nations rights.[65]
"We will not be idle. Just as First Nations fought for the inclusion of Section 35 in the Constitution, we will continue to fight and oppose the reckless political posturing of this Alberta government and the so-called 'Alberta Prosperity Project,' who are in fact engaged in playing political games that endanger the future of all Albertans," the media release stated.[65] The Confederacy called for continued solidarity with those who supported Treaty 6, Treaty 7, and Treaty 8 in May at the Alberta legislature, reaffirming that treaties are not merely history, but living agreements that bind all parties.[65]
Response to separation referendum: the 'Forever Canadian' petition
In 2025, Thomas Lukaszuk launched the Alberta Forever Canada citizen initiative opposing Alberta's separation from Canada. Approved by Elections Alberta on June 30,[64] the petition began collecting signatures on August 2 in Edmonton.[66] If 293,976 signatures (20% of voters) are gathered by October 28, a referendum will be triggered.[67] The question asks: Do you agree that Alberta should remain in Canada?[68] Lukaszuk's application cited concerns over economic, citizenship, and treaty rights impacts if Alberta separates, noting only a minority support independence.[69]
Legality of separation in Canada
In Canada the Clarity Act, which has been approved by the Supreme Court of Canada, governs the process a province should follow to achieve separation. The first step is a province-wide referendum with a clear question. The size of majority support in the referendum required for separating to win is not defined, although it was determined that separation from Canada would require negotiation with the federal government and respect for human and indigenous rights.[citation needed]
↑ McKenzie, Helen, ed. (1981), "Current Issues System: Western Alienation in Canada", Research Branch, Library of Parliament, Government of Canada, Ottawa
↑ Kevin Steel, "A nation torn apart: An exclusive Western Standard poll shows more than a third of westerners are thinking of separating from Canada. What's dividing the country—and can anything be done to save it?," Western Standard August 22, 2005 onlineArchived May 27, 2011, at the Wayback Machine
Bell, Edward. "Separatism and Quasi-Separatism in Alberta", Prairie Forum, Sep 2007, Vol. 32, Issue 2, pp.335–355
Pratt, Larry, and Garth Stevenson. Western separatism: the myths, realities & dangers (1981)
Wagner, Michael. Alberta: Separatism Then and Now (St. Catharines, ON: Freedom Press Canada Inc., 2009) 138 pp, favourable account that concludes, "The odds of Alberta actually leaving Confederation are remote, at this point." However, he adds, "in my view, separatism has a future."
Zeihan, Peter (2014). The Accidental Superpower: The Next Generation of American Preeminence and the Coming Global Disorder. (Chapter devoted to Alberta separatism)
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