Alberta Premier Danielle Smith said she will hold a referendum next year on the province separating from Canada if citizens collect a required number of signatures on a petition.
Speaking Monday, Smith stated she does not personally favor separation. She expressed hope for a strong and sovereign Alberta within a united Canada.
Smith said the referendum would proceed "should Ottawa, for whatever reason, continue to attack our province as they have done over the last decade." She added that she would accept the judgement of Albertans on the matter.
The announcement follows Prime Minister Mark Carney leading the Liberal Party to a fourth term in the recent federal election. It also comes amid trade tensions with the United States, where U.S. President Donald Trump has threatened tariffs on Canadian goods. Carney and Trump were scheduled to meet Tuesday at the White House.
Smith's government recently introduced legislation to lower the threshold for citizen-initiated referendums. The bill would require a petition signed by 10 percent of eligible voters in the previous general election, down from 20 percent of total registered voters. Petitioners would also receive 120 days, up from 90, to gather the approximately 177,000 signatures needed.
The Premier accused previous federal governments of enacting policies that hinder Alberta's ability to develop and export its energy resources, stating this has cost the province billions. She emphasized the desire for the province to manage its own health care, education, and social services.
Smith said she has met with Carney and reported he had promising remarks regarding changing the direction of federal policies affecting resources. She plans to appoint a negotiation team to address longstanding provincial irritations and will chair a panel holding town halls to hear Albertan perspectives.
Other leaders have weighed in, emphasizing national unity. Prime Minister Carney said Tuesday that Canada works better when everyone works together. Ontario Premier Doug Ford echoed this sentiment, stating, "We have to stay united." Smith responded to Ford, saying she would not tell him how to run his province and expected the same respect.
Political analyst John Soroski of MacEwan University suggested that while there is anger in the province, separation is unlikely. He noted that threatening a referendum can serve as leverage for provincial leaders when dealing with the federal government, drawing a parallel to Quebec politicians who have used similar tactics. Quebec held separation referendums in 1980 and 1995, both failing.
Smith said she would work with Carney in good faith but seeks "tangible proof of real change."