Residents of Canada’s Alberta province are set to vote on a proposal related to possible secession, Premier Danielle Smith announced, outlining plans for a referendum question to be included in a scheduled provincial vote on October 19.
According to CBC, Smith said in a video address that the government intends to add a question asking voters whether Alberta should remain part of Canada or begin a legal process that could lead to a full referendum on independence.
She stressed that the upcoming vote would not in itself initiate secession proceedings but would instead grant the provincial government the authority to pursue further legal steps if supported by voters.
The announcement follows a petition campaign led by the organisation Stay Free Alberta. On May 8, campaign supporters submitted nearly 302,000 signatures to Alberta’s election commission, significantly surpassing the required threshold of 178,000 needed to advance the initiative.
However, the process has encountered legal challenges. A court has temporarily halted the verification of the submitted signatures after representatives of Indigenous communities filed a lawsuit questioning the legality of the proposed referendum initiative.
By Tamilla Hasanova
