Back on May 11, the Alberta Independence movement had well over 300K signatures on their petition to trigger a referendum for independence when they submitted it to Elections Alberta for verification.
🚨 BREAKING: 301,620 signatures have officially been announced for the Alberta independence petition.
That is far beyond the required threshold to trigger the Alberta independence vote on October 19th.
A massive day for the Alberta Independence movement. pic.twitter.com/RbeIDkNf7e
— Rise Of Alberta (@RiseOfAlberta) May 4, 2026
There was only one hiccup – in mid-April a judge had issued an interim injunction preventing Elections Alberta from verifying any of the gathered signatures thanks to a First Nations lawsuit against the independence movement. That lawsuit argued that the referendum would be unconstitutional on the grounds it violated the treaties that the Crown had signed with the tribes.
So, while the petition drive eventually blew the signature numbers needed – 177,173 – out of the water, everything has been in limbo since this injunction.
Until last week, when the judge threw the petition drive – and all that work – out by ruling in favor of the Indians.
In effect, the court said the government hadn’t asked the First Nations for permission to allow the independence movement to begin the process of leaving.
A judge in Alberta on Wednesday delivered a blow to activists’ efforts to hold a referendum on the Western Canadian province’s split from the country, siding with an Indigenous group that argued the government has an obligation to consult with it as their rights would be directly affected by secession.
The ruling of the Court of King’s Bench of Alberta sided with the Indigenous group, the Athabasca Chipewyan First Nation, in its lawsuit against the provincial government.
The group argued that the secession of Alberta from Canada would introduce new international borders, violating its rights under long-established treaties.
The group maintained that the government was obliged to consult it before allowing activists to collect signatures to force a vote.
The court ruling, which the pro-separation activists and the province’s leadership said they would appeal in a higher court, effectively says that the petition to hold the referendum cannot proceed. It is a significant obstacle to the effort of a growing minority in Alberta to split the landlocked oil-rich province from Canada.
Alberta’s Premier, Danielle Smith, said that she was going to appeal the ruling.
…Danielle Smith, the premier of Alberta, said in a televised news conference that her government would appeal the decision. “We think there’s been an error in law,” she said. “We think it’s undemocratic.”
The ruling presents a political conundrum for Ms. Smith, who has been supportive of the referendum happening, claiming it’s the democratic thing to do, while also saying she personally prefers Alberta to stay in Canada.
Ms. Smith’s party, the United Conservative Party of Alberta, has a significant support base among pro-independence voters and activists.
She feels that the judgment was undemocratic to deny over 300K Albertans the chance to have their petition considered. And the total is closer to 700,000 if previously disqualified petition signature efforts are included.
BREAKING:
Premier Danielle Smith says that while her government supports Alberta staying in Canada, she will be appealing a court decision that quashed a possible separatist petition/referendum. pic.twitter.com/CP2WBb8Muq
— Courtney Theriault (@cspotweet) May 13, 2026
Albertans might have a valid issue with the bias of the territorial judges in their province.
94% of Alberta’s Court of Appeal judges were appointed by Ottawa Liberals.
83% of Alberta’s Court of King’s Bench judges were appointed by Ottawa Liberals.
Alberta votes Conservative. Alberta is judged Liberal.
Independence fixes this. pic.twitter.com/o7cWWjVow6
— Rise Of Alberta (@RiseOfAlberta) May 19, 2026
The First Nations are having a teeny meltdown over Smith’s appeal of their victory.
WAAH
…Chief Allan Adam of Athabasca Chipewyan First Nation said the court ruling was a victory for First Nations, adding that he found Ms. Smith’s rush to announce an appeal curious.
“My question is this,” he said in a phone interview on Wednesday. “She says she’s not a separatist, then why is the government of Alberta appealing the decision?”
The tribes keep forgetting there are other people in Canada besides them.
There are a few other balls in the air besides the appeal.
According to various sources, Smith, as Alberta Premier, has the authority to declare a referendum.
Here’s why the courts can’t stop an Alberta independence referendum.
Keith Wilson explains that the Alberta government never needed a citizen initiative petition to put the question to Albertans.
The petition proved public demand.
The Premier still has the authority to act. pic.twitter.com/jf1gymg82V
— Rise Of Alberta (@RiseOfAlberta) May 19, 2026
Many are hoping that’s precisely what she soon will decide to do.
Separatist petitioner Mitch Sylvestre tells me he’s hopeful Premier Danielle Smith will call an Alberta independence vote during a TV address on Thursday.
Still, his group is pursuing an appeal and a stay application of last week’s court decision. #ableg #cdnpoli pic.twitter.com/5csmTVFJ5z
— Sean Amato (@JSJamato) May 19, 2026
But the other wrinkle is more complicated.
Where the First Nations can apply additional pressure on Smith is in relation to their expressed disappointment in her appeal of their court win. Smith needs the tribes on board to support the two Memorandums of Understanding she’s managed to hammer out with Canadian Prime Minister Mark Carney for a pipeline from Alberta through British Columbia to the Pacific Coast.
…She has had plenty of opportunities to steer away from the separatist cause. The most recent judicial decision is the latest example. Before that there was the leaking of the entire Alberta voters’ list to the separatists, which put the integrity of any future votes in question and the Forever Canadian petition, which called for Alberta to stay in Canada and garnered almost half a million verified signatures.
But Smith didn’t take any of the off-ramps. She just put her foot on the accelerator and drove straight ahead. It seems she wants to give the separatists their referendum, come hell or high water.
But Smith can’t have it both ways. She is going to have to disavow the separatists if she wants a pipeline or she is going to have to support them and destroy any chance of a pipeline.
It’s your choice Danielle.
Uber woke BC Premier David Eby, who has been cheerleading First Nations’ land grabs in his province, was all about blocking Alberta bitumen and crude headed for the ocean last November.
Premier Eby and First Nations leaders sign the “North Coast Protection Declaration” affirming their commitment to keep BC’s North Coast pipeline-free. pic.twitter.com/WWcCFtk4yh
— Jarryd Jäger (@JarrydJaeger) November 5, 2025
And he was busy fanning those flames yesterday over the Alberta secessionist issue.
David Eby has some harsh words for Danielle Smith on separatism: “Bluntly, we cannot have bad behaviour decide who gets engaged with by the federal government. We need to hold this country together. We need to fight for this country every single chance we get.” pic.twitter.com/NIv62x31ZY
— Scott Robertson (@sarobertson_) May 19, 2026
The economic pressure play might work, but, then again, are the First Nations finally overstepping their bounds if they tank the pipeline over the democratically expressed wishes for a referendum of at least 30% of Albertans?
Max makes a great argument in support of Alberta independence.
Clearly no progress will be made as a part of Canada
A society cannot properly function when a single racial group gets a veto on any and all development and economic activity
— DMac (Alberta flag emoji – coming soon) (@DanielMacl1n) May 20, 2026
It’s a huge gamble.
