Alberta could soon see a referendum on whether to separate from Canada — but only if a citizen-led petition reaches enough support.
At the same time, the government proposed lowering the threshold for citizen petitions. The draft legislation would reduce the needed signatures from 20% to 10% of the electorate and give petitioners more time to collect them.
Competing Petition Seeks to Keep Alberta in Canada
Not all Albertans apóiam a separação. A petition drive known as “Alberta Forever Canada” has already collected more than 400,000 verified signatures far beyond the requirement calling for Alberta to remain in Canada.
That means, at present, there are two active initiatives pushing para lados opostos: uma a favor da separação, outra pela permanência na Confederação.
Legal Challenge: Court Blocks Proposed Separation Vote
Critically, in December 2025 a judge at the Court of King’s Bench of Alberta ruled that the proposed referendum question on separation violates the Constitution.
The court held that a citizen-initiated referendum under the province’s law cannot contravene sections of the Constitution Act, including charter rights and treaty protections.
As a result, the referendum proposal as currently drafted stands blocked. The decision means that even com petição assinada a vote on independence cannot legally proceed sem mudança constitucional.
What It All Means: Unlikely but Not Dead
A referendum is not yet confirmed; it depends on a petition, judicial approval, and constitutional compliance. The court has already indicated that a separation proposal cannot move forward without amending the Constitution.
Any change would require federal negotiations, likely with the approval of provincial and federal parliaments a long and complex path.
Even so, the debate exposes discontent with federal policies, especially in the energy sector, and reignites historical tensions between western and eastern Canada.
