Separatists in Canada’s oil-rich province of Alberta have taken a major step toward forcing an independence referendum—by submitting more than 300,000 signatures to election officials.
Boxes filled with petitions were delivered on Monday, May 4th to Elections Alberta by independence supporters, as a crowd of several hundred gathered waving provincial flags and cheering the campaign.
The organizers claim they have gathered enough support to trigger a vote on whether the western province should break away from Canada. Separatist leader by Mitch Sylvestre claimed
We’re not like the rest of Canada… We’re 100% conservative. We’re being ruled by Liberals who don’t think like us.
Sylvestre also accused the federal leadership of undermining Alberta’s key economic driver. “They’re trying to shut down our industry,” he alleged, referring to the province’s lucrative oil sector.
The separatist movement in Alberta, a province of around five million people, has existed for decades but has largely remained on the political margins. In recent months, however, it has gained momentum and is now closer than ever to triggering a referendum.
Polls put separatist support at roughly 30%, but even if the federalist side wins a prospective referendum, leaders on both sides say the process has left Canada permanently changed.
