Albertans Set to Vote on Separation Referendum

Albertans will head to the polls on October 19 to vote on whether there should be a future referendum on separating from Canada.

The push for separation has been decades in the making, dating back to 1980 when the federal government's National Energy Program sparked widespread alienation in Alberta. The program kept domestic oil prices below world levels to promote Canadian energy security and increase the federal share of oil revenues, which Albertans viewed as an unjustified attack and a federal money grab.

The issue was eventually settled, but discontent with Ottawa continued. In 2022-23, Premier Danielle Smith won government on a platform of asserting independence from Ottawa, unlike her predecessor Jason Kenney who remained a staunch advocate for the province staying in Confederation.