Separatists in Alberta say recent developments that have put Prime Minister Mark Carney on the verge of a parliamentary majority are boosting their cause as they seek to gather public support to force a vote on independence from Canada.
Volunteer canvassers gathering signatures in the western province for a petition aimed at triggering a citizen-led referendum on separation report an uptick in support since Marilyn Gladu, a long-time member of the right-leaning Conservatives, defected to the ruling Liberal party on Wednesday.
“We’ve had thousands of signatures since then,” said Jeff Rath, spokesman for the Alberta Prosperity Project group that supports independence, in an interview on Thursday.
“Mark Carney himself has been the biggest help to the Alberta independence movement.”
Alberta’s electoral authority has not verified how many signatures the movement has. Rath said the citizen-led petition is already well over the approximately 177,000 signatures required by Alberta law to launch a referendum on separation from Canada in October.
Carney’s office did not immediately respond to a request for comment.
Gladu is the fourth Conservative legislator to defect to the Liberals since November, and Carney will secure a parliamentary majority on Monday if his party wins at least one of three special elections.
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A majority in the House of Commons will make it easier for the prime minister to push through his agenda.
The latest defection prompted widespread outrage in Conservative circles.
In oil-rich Alberta, which leans rightward, many voters feel betrayed by the defections and worry that a Liberal majority will not be in the province’s interests, Rath said.
Many separatists on social media also said the defections could spur more support for independence.
“If more conservative floor crossers come forward, winning a referendum becomes very hard to stop,” said one post on social media platform X, which was reposted on Thursday by Keith Wilson, a prominent Alberta independence activist.
Separatists have been working to raise awareness of their cause south of the border, in order to get a sense of how Americans would respond to the prospect of an independent Alberta, Rath added.
Wilson appeared on U.S. right-wing media personality Glenn Beck’s program this week, and Beck said he was an admirer of the cause.
Billionaire Elon Musk also appeared to endorse Alberta separatism this week, replying “Yeah” on X in response to an independence activist’s statement that breaking away from the country is the only way to save Canada.
Rath described Musk as a “big supporter.”
The separatists have until May 2 to submit their petition to Elections Alberta.
Polling has consistently shown that separation is a minority position in Alberta.
A new poll this week, published before Gladu’s defection, showed 27 per cent of decided voters would vote in favor of independence.
What exact help has Carnage Carney’s Traitorous majority done exactly huh ? They have done Absolutely nothing
Sounds like Jason K. and Julien below are currently sharing one brain cell between themselves. I wonder who gets to use it on the weekends
The day Alberta officially leaves Cubanada is the day I pack up my business and leave this disastrous NDP failed Province of B.C. and cross the border into Real Canada aka Alberta.
“showed 27 per cent of decided voters would vote in favor of independence.”
Now imagine if our media polled conservative ridings, not just liberal ridings. This number would be 72%. We are NOT the minority.
2025 election results:
43% LPC
41% CPC
Yet the Liberals are poised to steal a majority government, blatantly goong against the wishes of voters. Remember, electoral reform was a good idea until the first past the post system won the Liberals a majority. And then a minority government in 2021, even though they received less overall votes than the CPC. In fact, the LPC has been the only party over represented in the House of Commons since 2015. Every single party has been underrepresented since. No wonder Alberta wants to leave. They knew the election results before their polls even closed.
Hey “Anonymous”!
Since you’re bringing up poltical interference, don’t you find it odd that our Liberal Party of Canada refuses to acknowledge human rights violations in China? Or how Micheal Ma lambasted an expert in the issues of slave labour in China? What about the $900 million dollar taxpayer funded road to nowhere, built solely to access a mine owned by China? How about releasing.the MOU between Canada.and China so it can be scrutinized? Yeah, politcial interference indeed.
So let me see if I understand. Reformist Conservatives are seeing more and more duly elected officials of areas who voted for the person they felt most likely to help their regions. So the people chose the person and the person recognized the best way to serve the people is by leaving Reformist Conservative Parties whatever they are named.
And same group, they also are the ones who screamed about foreign interference in politics and only really quieted down when their own leader refused to be sworn in to allow reading who was involved because then he would have to recognize the very many incidents within his own party… but that is sidetracking… the people who screamed about how inappropriate and unjust it was… are now begging for international influence in the politics of their province which is led by the party that still won’t get read in so they can go after the ones being so immorally compromised.
And those same people are sticking heads in the oilsands like ostrich hiding from the world when it comes to Indigenous lands, treaties and who actually is in control of the bulk of that land.
Just so I understand correctly…
Please bring BC with you, Id love to live somewhere where my vote actually matters
Alberta, take north of Hope BC with you. Please!
Gladu – just anothef nail in the coffin of a fading Canadian dream. Independence and leaning to independence now at 42%… and growing.
Zero point in voting federally in Alberta anymore. Fingers crossed.
Jason and Julien are another reason the separatists might be gaining. I agree the separatist movement is a minority, and will not win. But the writer is correct, in that a majority Liberal Government is not in Canada’s best interest. Time for Canada to show it cares about all of us.
No one likes these rednecks. Hilarious post today though.
Our votes do not count under the westminster political system
October 19, 2026!! Time to get out before Carnage Carney brings down the house!!
This many people crossing the line sends a very poor message to voters. Where I’m standing, this was not what people voted for. This paints a picture similar to corporate Canada where people at the top care solely for their own financial and professional gain, at any cost. Imagine throwing all the people who voted for you under the bus so you can fatten your retirement. Crossing the floor should automatically trigger an election, but it doesn’t. I’m afraid this country is becoming a single-party communist regime, possibly as early as 2030. Everyone below the ruling class will be sacked, equally broke and equally miserable.
These hillbillies can’t stop huffing paint long enough to get anything done. Elon Musk was an Epstein party boy.
MAKE SEPERATISTS “FEEL GOOD” ARTICLE?
“Nothing says ‘rigorous reporting’ like arranging someone’s narrative into a neat little victory lap.”
“It has strong ‘we were asked to make this look convincing, so we did our best’ energy.”
No one cares what this lunatic minority thinks, and you shouldn’t be encouraging them with coverage.
How about that.
Not going to bother with the conservatives instead concentrate on the independence vote in October. WEXIT or die.