Alberta Separatists Gear Up for Referendum on Leaving Canada

Alberta separatists are gearing up for a referendum on October 19 that will ask residents if they want to leave Canada. The nonbinding vote is unlikely to pass, but it's a significant development in the long-standing debate over Alberta's place within Canada.

The movement has been gaining momentum, with Chris Scott, a former oil worker, hosting over 115 town halls across the province to pitch the idea of independence. Scott, who was arrested for protesting Covid lockdowns in 2021, says he began to question Canadian governance after his experience in jail.

Scott and others point to issues such as environmental regulation, immigration, and free speech restrictions as symptoms of a larger problem with Canadian governance. They argue that Alberta has the right to self-determination and freedom. Polls suggest only about a quarter of Alberta's roughly five million people support leaving Canada.