Smith pledges Alberta separation referendum in 2026 if enough signatures

In an address to Albertans, Premier Danielle Smith declared, “We just want to be free,” as she announced plans to appoint a negotiating team to defend Alberta’s autonomy within the Confederation.

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In an address to Albertans, Premier Danielle Smith declared, “We just want to be free,” as she announced plans to appoint a negotiating team to defend Alberta’s autonomy within the Confederation and assemble a panel of the province’s brightest to propose key provincial referenda, including on separation.

Smith delivered her remarks on Monday afternoon following a meeting with the United Conservative Party caucus. She explained that “Strong and free” is more than just Alberta’s motto.

“We just want to be free,” said Smith. “Free to develop and export that incredible wealth of resources we have for the benefit of our families and future generations. Free to pursue opportunities with the ideals of entrepreneurship, hard work and innovation that have become synonymous with the name of our province.”

Smith said that she was willing to work with Prime Minister Mark Carney if he lived up to his promise to dismantle federal legislation that crippled Alberta’s economy and its resource sector. But in the meantime, Smith announced a proactive strategy to reassert Alberta’s interests at the national level.

Smith first announced she would appoint a special negotiating team to represent Alberta in meetings with Ottawa. The goal of the negotiations would be to create a binding agreement called “the Alberta Accord.” Part of the strategy also includes plans for Smith to chair the “Alberta Next” panel, consisting of leaders in the judicial, academic, and economic spheres. The panel will conduct numerous online and in-person town halls to discuss Alberta’s future in Canada and propose referendums.

On the topic of separation, Smith said that while she wants Alberta to remain a part of Canada, Albertans who supported a referendum were not just “fringe voices” and deserved to be heard. She promised that the question of separation would be put to a vote by 2026 if the required number of signatures were met.

“The vast majority of these individuals are not fringe voices to be marginalized or vilified. They are loyal Albertans. They are, quite literally, our friends and neighbours who’ve just had enough of having their livelihoods and prosperity attacked by a hostile federal government,” she said.

Smith outlined that her negotiating team will demand guaranteed access to tidewater ports for Alberta’s resources, Ottawa repealing federal legislation that hinders Alberta’s energy sector, protection against federal export taxes without Alberta’s consent, and equitable per capita federal transfers and equalization payments.

Smith argued that the corridor and port access guarantee would benefit Canadians by generating trillions of dollars of economic activity, including billions for First Nations partners.

“Every province in the country other than Alberta and Saskatchewan has coastal port access, and no province needs it more given the size and value of our resources,” she said.

The specific policies Smith demanded the federal government repeal included Bill C-69 (the No More Pipelines Act), the oil tanker ban, the net zero electricity regulations, the oil and gas emissions cap, the net-zero vehicle mandate, and any other federal law regulating carbon emissions, plastics, or infringing on the free speech of energy companies.

“These laws are destroying investment confidence and costing Canada and Alberta hundreds of billions in investment each year,” said Smith.

Alberta beat the feds in court on both Bill C-69 and Ottawa’s attempt to regulate plastics. Despite this, the Liberals have ignored the court decisions, according to Smith. Alberta also recently launched a new court challenge on net-zero regulations, and the provincial government is preparing to challenge the energy production cap.

Having travelled the world extensively over the last few years, Smith explained that Canada is no longer seen as an attractive investment location.

“As a result, Canada has fallen to dead last in economic growth among industrialized nations. The world looks at us like we’ve lost our minds,” she said. “We have the most abundant and accessible natural resources of any country on earth, and yet we landlock them, sell what we do produce to a single customer to the south of us, while enabling polluting dictatorships to eat our lunch.”

While demanding that Ottawa refrain from imposing any export taxes or restrictions on the export of Alberta resources without the provincial government’s consent, Smith added that all provinces should be given the same respect.

Lastly, Smith demanded that Alberta be given the same per capita federal transfers as the three other largest provinces — Quebec, Ontario, and British Columbia.

“We have no issue with Alberta continuing to subsidize smaller provinces with their needs, but there is no excuse for such large and powerful economies like Ontario, Quebec, B.C., or Alberta to be subsidizing one another,” said Smith, adding that this was never the intent of equalization.

“If these points can be agreed to by the federal government, I am convinced it will not only make Alberta and Canada an infinitely stronger and more prosperous country, but will eliminate the doubts a growing number of Albertans feel about the future of Alberta in Canada,” she added.

As the negotiations with Ottawa proceed, Smith said that the Alberta Next panel will collect the most popular ideas submitted by citizens to be put to a provincial referendum in 2026.

If a citizen-led referendum on separation is successful in garnering at least 177,000 signatures to trigger a referendum, that question will be included in the referendum.

“As most Albertans know, I have repeatedly stated I do not support Alberta separating from Canada. I personally still have hope that there is a path forward for a strong and sovereign Alberta within a united Canada,” said Smith.

The last election showed Smith that 85 per cent of Canadians voted for either the Liberals or Conservatives — both of whom promised to turn Canada into an energy superpower, while only 13 per cent voted for the “fringe voices in the Socialist NDP and Bloc [Québécois] parties and their extremist leave it in the ground policies.”

Smith concluded by saying that Alberta didn’t start this fight, but it will finish it and come out stronger and more prosperous than ever.