Albertans lined up to sign a petition to secede from Canada

These events took place on January 14 at community halls in Red Deer and Eckville, organized by the Stay Free Alberta campaign. Attendees were introduced to the effort to call for a referendum on Alberta’s separation from Canada, and could then sign a petition promoting the vote.

From 6:00 p.m., hundreds of people waited in line outside the hall. The parking lot quickly filled up. According to Canadian media, most people present at the event wanted something new for this locality.

“I don’t see Alberta’s voice being heard like it is in the east, and we want to see change,” said Sara Moberg, who lined up to sign the petition in Red Deer.

The petition was initiated by Mr. Mitch Sylvestre, director of the Alberta Prosperity Project. Mr. Sylvestre, who spoke to attendees in Eckville, in December 2025 received permission from Alberta Elections to begin collecting voter signatures to organize a referendum.

Stay Free Alberta has nearly four months to collect at least 178,000 signatures from Albertans so the independence referendum can take place.

Moberg said her motivation to sign the petition came from concern for the future. “I want to see a different future for my children. I don’t want them to have to bear the huge debt that is inevitable if this situation continues. I want them to see that I stood up and fought for what I believed in,” she said.

Also present at the event in Red Deer, Tracy Worthington hoped Albertans would choose “independence and self-governance, free from undue central government interference” and sign the petition.

“There are long lines everywhere, at every event, whether in a small town, large city or mid-sized,” Worthington said, referring to grievances such as fatigue with the Canadian government’s budget regulation mechanism.

“The problem lies in jobs, housing, the ability to develop practically all resources. Not only oil and gas, but also agriculture, forestry, key minerals, everything is held back by too many procedural barriers,” she explained.

Director Sylvestre expressed excitement at the level of people’s response since the campaign was allowed to collect signatures.

“The hall is packed. People line up around the building to sign every night,” he described, saying that the campaign has so far had more than 2,000 people participating in the campaign and is a true grassroots movement.

Darwin Graff, a Sylvan Lake resident who attended the event in Eckville, said that if the campaign is successful, a referendum is held and Albertans agree to separate from Canada, the province may face initial difficulties.

“But when stability is restored, I believe Alberta will thrive,” Graff said. “The oil sands are the mainstay, and we have many other resources that will also play an important role.”

The next petition signing events are scheduled for January 16 in Okotoks, Drayton Valley and the James River Bridge area. More than 20 similar events are scheduled to take place across the province in the coming weeks.

Mr. Sylvestre in 2025 submitted a proposal to propose a similar referendum question: “Do you agree that the province of Alberta will become a sovereign country and no longer a province of Canada?”.

This proposal was later determined to be unconstitutional by a judge in Alberta. However, the provincial government late in 2025 passed an amendment to Bill 14, allowing citizen initiatives to proceed even if the constitutionality has not been considered.

Around the same time, the “Forever Canadian” petition was duly endorsed by Alberta Elections with more than 400,000 signatures. This petition asks the opposing question: “Do you agree that Alberta should remain part of Canada?”.

This petition, initiated by former deputy premier Thomas Lukaszuk, could lead to a referendum, but he said his goal is to ask Premier Danielle Smith to bring this question to parliament for provincial parliamentarians to vote on.

Mr. Sylvestre told media that the number of signatures collected from the Stay Free Alberta campaign will not be announced until the end of the collection period.