Alberta Poised to Vote on Canadian Separation, Sparking National Debate

Alberta Premier Danielle Smith has announced plans for the oil-rich province to hold a non-binding vote in the fall on whether its residents wish to remain a part of Canada — or move ahead with a second binding vote on separation.

The move marks the first time in Canadian history that a province other than Quebec has put the question of separation to the public and comes after months of campaigning from a group of separatists.

Speaking during a televised address on Thursday evening, Alberta's Smith said she supports the province remaining in Canada and would vote as such in a provincial referendum.

"However, despite my personal support for remaining in Canada, I'm deeply troubled by an erroneous court decision that interferes with the democratic rights of hundreds of thousands of Albertans," Smith said.

An Alberta judge had previously thrown out a petition seeking for the province to separate from Canada.

Backers of the citizen-led group Stay Free Alberta said that they'd collected more than 301,000 signatures in support of their campaign, which is partly driven by the view that the province has long been overlooked by decision-makers in Ottawa.

Opinion polls indicate that separatism in Alberta lacks broad appeal, however. A separate petition calling for the province to stay in Canada says it has gathered more than 404,000 signatures.

"Kicking the can down the road only prolongs a very emotional and important debate, and muzzling the voices of hundreds of thousands of Albertans wanting to be heard is unjustifiable in a free and democratic society," Smith said.

"It's time to have a vote, understand the will of Albertans on this subject, and move on," she added.

The provincial vote, which is scheduled to take place on Oct. 19, will put the following question to Albertans: "Should Alberta remain a province of Canada or should the Government of Alberta commence the legal process required under the Canadian Constitution to hold a binding provincial referendum on whether or not Alberta should separate from Canada?"

Alberta is Canada's fourth most-populous province, with an estimated population of around 5 million people.

The province is well-known for its oil sands, which contribute significantly to Alberta and Canada's economy.

Alberta's oil sands' proven reserves are equal to approximately 158.9 billion barrels of oil, which means the province has the fourth-largest such reserves in the world, after Venezuela, Saudi Arabia and Iran.