Alberta separatist says members of Smith’s caucus have signed referendum petition

EDMONTON — A leader of Alberta’s separatist movement says some members of Premier Danielle Smith’s United Conservative Party caucus have signed the petition looking to force a vote on the province quitting Canada.

“I know of (UCP members of the legislature) that have signed the petition,” Jeff Rath, a lawyer for Stay Free Alberta, the group organizing the petition campaign, said Thursday.

“We’re confident that more of them will (sign), because they believe in allowing Albertans to have a say in their future.

“It shouldn’t surprise anybody that UCP MLAs are signing the petition.”

The petition, launched earlier this month, calls for a referendum to ask Albertans: Do you agree that the province of Alberta should cease to be a part of Canada to become an independent state?

It needs to collect almost 178,000 signatures by May. If successful, it would then be up to Smith’s justice minister to refer it to the lieutenant-governor to call a referendum.

Rath wouldn’t name the caucus members who signed or say how many, citing confidentiality rules that dictate Alberta’s petition process.

Smith’s office deferred questions about whether her legislature members have signed the petition to the UCP caucus. It said Rath doesn’t speak for its members.

“Our United Conservative government is focused on building a strong and sovereign Alberta within a united Canada,” the caucus said in a statement.

“That’s the work that we were elected to do, and that’s the work we’re doing every day.”

Smith has faced and declined calls from other premiers this week to denounce the separation movement, especially after news that separatist leaders have been meeting with U.S. officials about their push for independence.

Opposition NDP Leader Naheed Nenshi called on UCP members who signed to speak up.

He said constituents deserve to know whether their elected representatives want Alberta to become its own country.

“If they don’t, we’ll just assume all of them signed the petition,” Nenshi said in an interview. “(Smith) now is in charge of a separatist party and a separatist government, and she obviously cannot control her own MLAs.”

Nenshi said the province striking out on its own wouldn’t solve key issues that Albertans care about, such as health care, public education or the cost of living.

“What it does is it scares away investment and costs us jobs every day,” he said.

NDP deputy leader Rakhi Pancholi on Friday renewed the party’s call from earlier this week for all legislature members to sign a pledge against separatism. She said that to date no UCP caucus member had stepped forward.

“Their silence speaks volumes,” Pancholi told reporters.

The UCP’s chief government whip, Justin Wright, called the NDP’s pledge a “cheap political stunt.”

“Our job is to represent our constituents and stand up for Alberta – not participate in Nenshi’s publicity stunt,” Wright said in a statement.

“Our caucus continues to support a strong and sovereign Alberta within a united Canada.”

B.C. Premier David Eby said Thursday that Alberta separatists, including Rath, have engaged in “treason” for meeting multiple times in recent months with U.S. State Department officials.

“It is completely inappropriate to seek to weaken Canada, to seek to go and ask for assistance to break up this country from a foreign power,” Eby said as premiers gathered in Ottawa to meet with Prime Minister Mark Carney.

Other premiers didn’t go so far, but many called on Smith to denounce the separation movement in her province.

“This is an opportunity for Premier Smith to stand up and say enough is enough,” said Ontario Premier Doug Ford. “Either you’re with Canada or you’re not with Canada.”

After the meeting, Smith said she won’t demonize those in Alberta who have “lost hope” with Canada.

“What we need to do is we need to give Albertans hope,” she said, pointing to her energy deal with Carney as a major step forward after the province was “relentlessly attacked” by former prime minister Justin Trudeau’s government.

“We need to show them, not just tell them, not just words, but with actions that Canada can work.”

Smith said she expects the U.S. administration to respect Canada’s sovereignty and that she’ll be raising the issue with her delegate in Washington.

Rath said he attended meetings with U.S. officials but denied his actions amounted to treason.

As a private citizen, he doesn’t have the power to make agreements on behalf of the province, he said.

“We have not entered into any agreements with the United States with regard to anything. We have not solicited funds from them. We are not receiving funds from them,” Rath said.

He said he discussed with U.S. officials a $500 billion fund or loan to help Alberta transition into an independent country but that it was more hypothetical than a serious attempt to solicit funds from a foreign government.

The referendum petition, spearheaded by Mitch Sylvestre, a UCP constituency association president, has drawn large crowds across the province in recent weeks, with some Albertans waiting in long lines outside in the cold to sign.

“I think we’re exceeding everybody’s expectations,” said Rath.

“Everybody’s really excited and joyful about having the opportunity to sign Alberta out of Canada, and we’re going to keep moving forward.”

This report by The Canadian Press was first published Jan. 30, 2026.

Jack Farrell, The Canadian Press