Alberta Premier Danielle Smith defends promise of a potential referendum on separation

Wallis Snowdon · CBC News

· Posted: May 06, 2025 12:13 PM EDT | Last Updated: 4 minutes ago

Premier Danielle Smith says her absorption volition beryllium connected repairing the demolition she says Ottawa has caused to Alberta implicit the past decennary arsenic the thought of separation from Canada gains greater nationalist attention.

During a quality league Tuesday, Smith said she volition name a caller dialog sheet to advocator for the state and propulsion the national authorities to repeal authorities harmful to Alberta's economy.

Smith said her authorities has nary plans to enactment the question of Alberta separating from Canada to Albertans, but her authorities is taking steps to request respect from Ottawa. 

"I bash not enactment Alberta separating from Canada," Smith said. 

"I personally inactive person anticipation that determination is simply a way guardant for a beardown and sovereign Alberta wrong a agreed Canada. So I americium going to bash everything wrong my powerfulness to negociate a just woody for Alberta with the caller Prime Minister." 

When asked if separation was adjacent possible, Smith said she refused to locomotion into negations with Prime Minister Mark Carney believing they mightiness fail.

She said, however, they she volition respect the wishes of Albertans and honour the referendum process. Smith said it's important that Albertans are capable to person open, frank discussions astir Alberta's future. 

"In the months ahead, determination volition beryllium galore who volition effort to sow fearfulness and choler among. Those who would like to spot Alberta divided," Smith said. 

She said it volition beryllium up to Albertans to determine if separation warrants a nationalist vote.

Last week, a time aft Carney pb the Liberals to triumph successful the national election, Alberta introduced legislation that, if passed, would chopped the thresholds required to trigger a provincial referendum.

Under the projected bill, a petition would request signatures from 10 per cent of the eligible voters successful a erstwhile wide predetermination — down from 20 per cent of full registered voters. Applicants would besides get 120 days, alternatively than 90, to cod the required 177,000 signatures to unfastened a referendum vote.

"All I've said is that I volition honour the process," Smith said. 

She said determination has ever been vexation successful Alberta against Ottawa and that vexation has lone accrued successful caller years. 

She said determination has ever been immoderate the level of enactment for separation successful Alberta. She said radical person a close to that sentiment and should not beryllium "demonized" for it. 

"It's ever ebbed and flowed, but that has ever been successful the inheritance successful Alberta electoral authorities and it conscionable happened to person flared up close now.

"Citizens person a close to explicit their sentiment connected things that they're acrophobic astir and I deliberation it's my occupation to guarantee that statement is respectful." 

Referendum ballot

Smith took questions from reporters pursuing a unrecorded code Monday during which she touched connected everything from perceived economical incursions from the national Liberal authorities to her plans to onslaught a sovereignty panel.

In her 18-minute code Monday, Smith said Alberta volition signifier a sheet to sermon Alberta's aboriginal successful Canada.

Smith said she would clasp besides a ballot connected provincial separation successful 2026 but lone if citizens gathered capable signatures to trigger a referendum ballot. 

Smith besides confirmed her plans to onslaught a sovereignty sheet to research semipermanent options for economical and law protections from Ottawa.

The group, which she is calling the Alberta Next panel, volition big a bid of municipality halls to perceive straight from Albertans astir the province's spot successful Canada's future. 

She said Albertans volition past person a accidental successful a 2026 referendum, to ballot connected the much fashionable proposals that look from those sheet discussions. 

Smith has issued an updated database of demands that she said the caller Prime Minister's number authorities indispensable conscionable to mend the strained narration with Alberta.

During Tuesday's quality conference, Smith defended her government's determination to present authorities that would trim the threshold required for citizens to bring an contented guardant for a referendum vote. 

"If we genuinely privation citizens to beryllium capable to individuality issues they attraction about, to beryllium capable to enactment guardant to the people, you request to person tenable signature threshold." 

Smith's demands were delivered a week aft the national Liberals won a 4th consecutive national election.