The petition organizers have a May 2 deadline to obtain the required signatures. Recent polling shows support for Alberta independence to be as high as 28%, according to Ipsos. But the figure for those who remained committed to separation when asked to consider the consequences sits at about half that.

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.

Alberta Premier Danielle Smith said Thursday that she won’t demonize the roughly one million Albertans who are open to separation, after B.C. Premier David Eby said a group of Alberta separatists who went to Washington in search of political support are engaging in treason.

Canadian officials urge US to respect sovereignty after Alberta separatists meet Trump-linked officials, sparking national debate.

Alberta separation was in the spotlight at a Monday night independence rally in Calgary's Stampede Park, where security officials said more than 3,000 people packed the Big Four Roadhouse to hear from separatist speakers.

Political scientist Duane Bratt sees Smith’s rhetoric as designed to appeal to the United Conservative Party, separatists and federalists. This strategy has allowed separatist leaders to publicly claim her support, while others accuse Smith of deliberately blurring her position.

Hundreds of people lined up on Calgary's Stampede grounds on Monday to sign a petition calling on the province to hold a referendum on Alberta's separation from Canada.

Alberta Premier Danielle Smith says members of her caucus can sign whatever petitions they want to, including one pushing for a referendum on the province’s independence from Canada.

British Columbia Premier David Eby says Alberta separatists meeting with the U.S. administration and seeking financial backing is an act of "treason," as the issue of national sovereignty loomed over a meeting between the premiers and Prime Minister Mark Carney on Thursday.

Alberta Premier Danielle Smith believes residents of her province would reject joining the US, her press secretary said, days after Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent weighed in on a possible independence referendum in the region.

The Ontario premier said reports that independence activists are meeting with the U.S. officials on separation is “unacceptable.”