Alberta business leaders’ group urges voters to choose Canada in Oct. 19 referendum

EDMONTON — A group of Alberta business leaders is urging voters to choose Canada in next month’s secession referendum but admits it’s an issue fraught with tension on the front lines.

The Business Council of Alberta is composed of more than 130 chief executives representing investment firms, retailers, construction companies and more.

Council president Adam Legge said Tuesday they’re adding their voice to the chorus of other business groups who warn a vote on Oct. 19 to quit Canada will create massive uncertainty and put jobs and the economy at risk.

Legge said member companies want to speak with a unified voice but some hesitate to speak out individually as they may have employees and customers leaning towards separation.

“They don’t want to upset employees and pit employees against each other or have tension within the workplace — or tension within their customer base,” he told reporters at a virtual news conference from Calgary.

October’s ballot will ask Albertans to vote on whether to remain a province of Canada or to begin the process of holding a second, binding referendum on separation.

Forty-two days out from the referendum, Legge said now is the time for the business sector to do what it can to help combat voter apathy, including sharing practical information for voters.

He said there’s optimism among business leaders that the separatist push will fail, but there is no guarantee, especially in the event of a low voter turnout.

The Canadian Chamber of Commerce, the Alberta Chambers of Commerce, and their counterparts representing member businesses in the province’s two biggest cities have all officially staked their position on the pro-Canada side of the debate.

Meanwhile, Premier Danielle Smith’s government has tasked the University of Calgary’s School of Public Policy with compiling the costs of the province going it alone.

That report, commissioned in June, is expected in the coming weeks.

Smith said earlier this summer it could cost up to $400 billion to begin the transition to an independent province.

Last week, the Canada West Foundation, a Calgary-based think tank, estimated in a report Alberta separation could carry a set-up cost of $200 billion, with ongoing costs of more than $50 billion every year. It added the move could also shrink Alberta’s economy.

Legge contributed to that report.

He said Tuesday Alberta ought to continue to push for fair treatment from the federal government but said a vote to separate would leave too much beyond Alberta’s control — from export market access to cross-border travel, currency and interest rates.

“The notion that a separate Alberta would be a master of its own destiny is a fiction,” he said.

“There is a potential that your job may not be there the next day.”

This report by The Canadian Press was first published Sept. 8, 2026.

Lisa Johnson, The Canadian Press