Why do some Albertans want to separate? Committed, curious pack Calgary banquet hall

A loveless marriage — that's how one potential Alberta separatist sees Alberta's relationship to Canada.

"If we just got a little bit of love, we'd probably be satisfied. But I don't think it's coming," said Cynthia Mackenzie, a retired real estate agent and grandmother from Calgary.

She looked around at the standing-room only crowd of roughly 1,000 at the Astoria Banquet Hall in northeast Calgary on Monday night. It was a public town hall on options and a potential referendum for Alberta independence. 

The noise of the crowd was a dull roar and the room grew warm quickly.

Mackenzie said she's frustrated, feels her vote doesn't count and believes Alberta is not well represented among those in power in Ottawa. She said she wants those in the East to pay attention, because separatism is a big deal.

"I don't know if I'm serious yet, but I might be," she said. "I wanted to come tonight to see what's in the air."

"Maybe this new prime minister will take note of it. I don't know what the solution is. Mostly I'd like to be heard," she said. "I'd like someone to actually listen, even if they don't do anything. Just give me that love."

Separation back in the news

Alberta separatism roared back onto the public news agenda after the federal election, although it's still unclear whether that reflects a surge in public support.

Many voters here were hoping the Conservatives would win the election. After they lost, Alberta Premier Danielle Smith said she would lower the requirement for citizens to force a referendum on this or any other topic. 

Then on Monday, the Alberta Prosperity Project (APP) released the question it wants to put to Albertans.

At a news conference, APP lawyer Jeffrey Rath said their proposed independence referendum question would be: "Do you agree that the province shall become a sovereign country and cease to be a province of Canada?"

The public town-hall meeting followed the news conference. CBC News attended to find out what is drawing Albertans to this cause.

'We fund a lot of the country' 

Andrew Kaiser came with friends. The 42-year-old said he's been concerned about Alberta's relationship with Canada all his life.

He said the problem goes back to the rules set when Alberta became a province of Canada in 1905. The rules don't require all provinces to be represented equally, so smaller ones such as the Atlantic provinces have more members of Parliament per capita than Alberta does.

"Basically, we fund a lot of the country, yet they don't seem to want to give us any say," he said. "They want to stop us from making money with oil and gas, right?"

Kaiser said even if Alberta doesn't fully separate, he'd like to see a more "sovereign Alberta within Canada."

"A better constitution for us, for freedoms that can't be squashed.… Personal freedoms; that's the main reason I'm here is personal liberty," he said.

Philippe Perreault was standing by the entrance. He said he attended because he's hoping Alberta separates and then joins the United States. He's originally from Quebec, applied to immigrate to Florida and when that failed, he said he moved to Alberta in anticipation of a referendum here.

"I knew, the way the government was pushing Western Canada, it was going to increase the separatist movement," he said. "I see it as another opportunity."

Perreault was too young to vote in Quebec's 1995 referendum but thinks Alberta has a better chance of economic success than the eastern province because it has less debt.

The crowd in the banquet hall included a range of ages and genders. Some wore "Alberta Republic" hats, and volunteers helped people find spare seats when the room filled quickly. 

An organizer from the Alberta Prosperity Project told the crowd they normally start with a prayer, but since some in the room might not be Christian, they started with a song instead — Janis Joplin's Mercedes Benz with the new lyrics: "Oh Lord, won't you bring us independence.…"

Under the new provincial rules, Alberta Prosperity Project will need 177,000 signatures to force a referendum, but organizers have said they won't launch a citizens' initiative petition until they have 600,000 registered supporters online.

No change in the polling data yet

University of Alberta political scientist Jared Wesley has been measuring support for separation in Alberta regularly since 2019. He said they find 15 to 20 per cent of Albertans are hardline separatists, which is similar to what the Angus Reid Institute found in its poll released last week.

"Our survey is showing no real momentum at this point," Wesley said. "That could change."

His team is also tracking five Alberta separatist organizations, wondering if a clear leader will emerge. There is still no one who has become a household name the way René Lévesque and Lucien Bouchard did in the Quebec separatism movements.

Wesley's team publishes its results at commongroundpolitics.ca. The group will have another survey in the field this fall. 

At the banquet hall, the packed room certainly made it feel like support for independence is high.

Gord Larson said he was thrilled — "vindicated" — to be surrounded by so many like-minded people.

He's a journeyman sprinkler fitter who grew up in B.C., where he said it felt like federal elections were over before he even got to vote. Then he moved to Alberta and said he's wanted to separate since at least former prime minister Justin Trudeau's second term.

"I'm glad to see more people are feeling the way I've felt for a long time and I'm just glad to be a part of that," he said. 

"I don't stand alone. I just never thought there was enough political will with the people. I thought I was by myself."

Kamal Yalbir, a facilities manager at a private school, said he thinks separating will help Alberta develop its economy and bring down the cost of living.

Admiring, not joining the U.S.

CBC News talked with about a dozen of the attendees who came out to participate. There was a mix of people who were curious and those who were committed to separation. Key themes included the belief that Alberta would be economically better off with more independence, and a perceived lack of representation in Ottawa.

Several mentioned the higher levels of representation out East.

With the redistribution of seats by Elections Canada in 2022, the four Atlantic provinces got 32 MPs representing 2.4 million people, while Alberta was given 37 MPs for 4.4 million people. Ontario, B.C. and Alberta all have fewer MPs per 100,000 people than the national average. 

CBC News did not find many people who wanted to join the United States, although several said they admired the U.S. Constitution and the way voters have the chance to elect people to more positions, such as judges.

"I would like an independent Alberta with similar rules to the U.S. system where people are more involved, they have more say," said Colleen Willis, a bus driver and former nurse who lives in Calgary.

Willis said she was surprised at the turnout. She had been at previous Alberta Prosperity Project events where she said only 20 to 30 people turned up.

"It's a real groundswell of grassroots people."