Alberta Separatists Submit 302,000 Signatures Seeking Independence Referendum

Separatists in Alberta submitted almost 302,000 signatures to Elections Alberta on May 4, 2026, aiming to force a province-wide ballot on independence from Canada. The Stay Free Alberta group needed 178,000 signatures to trigger consideration of the measure, and the separation question could appear on a ballot as early as October 2026. 9 million voters.

9 million voters’ details. The Alberta official list of electors was provided to the Republican Party of Alberta, which shared it improperly with the Centurion Project, and a court ordered the database to be taken down, with Elections Alberta and the RCMP launching investigations into the data sharing.

The database included names of prominent politicians, elections officials, senators, judges, Crown prosecutors, journalists, and other public figures.

Jeffrey Rath, a separatist leader, stated that separatist groups will cooperate with any investigation but expect the referendum question to be on the ballot in October 2026. Rath also stated that collecting over 300,000 signatures took immense effort from volunteers, saying, 'All of our people were out busting their asses collecting signatures.

Alberta Premier Danielle Smith stated she would move forward with a separation vote if enough signatures are gathered and verified, though she personally does not support Alberta leaving Canada.

Smith accused previous federal Liberal governments of introducing legislation that hamstrings Alberta’s ability to produce and export oil, costing the province billions of dollars. In 2025, Smith reduced the number of signatures required for citizens to bring a constitutional referendum from 588,000 to roughly 178,000, and the provincial government changed how citizen-initiated referendums work, removing powers from Alberta’s chief electoral officer, allowing referendums to pose questions that would run afoul of the Canadian constitution.