Canada’s Threat From Within? Why A Secession Movement In Alberta Is Gaining Steam

Updated May 22, 2025 at 7:20 p.m.*

–OpEd–

CALGARY — My father, a native of the small coastal town of Kanya Kumari deep in southern India, wanted to come to Canada — not the U.S. — to pursue his higher studies. He arrived in 1968 to complete his PhD in Civil Engineering at the University of Alberta. Later that year, my mother, sister and I joined him.

For five years, we lived in Edmonton, the political capital of Alberta, situated on the Saskatchewan River. Then, we moved a three-hour drive southward to the city of Calgary – the commercial capital of Alberta, situated on the foothills of the Rocky Mountains.

Alberta is one of Canada’s ten provinces, ensconced between the mountains of British Columbia and the prairies of Saskatchewan. And now, its premier Danielle Smith looks to be clearing the way for Alberta to have the chance to separate from the rest of the country.

When the world thinks of separatism in Canada, they usually look eastward, to the French-speaking province of Quebec. But Alberta too has had many winters of discontent since becoming a province in 1905.

From the early days, separatist sentiments began simmering after the then Canadian prime minister refused it financial assistance during the Great Depression. Later, in 1948, oil was discovered near Edmonton. During the 1980s, many Albertans felt the federal government’s imposition of the National Energy Program deprived the province of much of its oil revenue, spiked unemployment rates and caused a deep recession.

The province never seemed to fully recover. The general gripe persists: Alberta is a net contributor in the federal pot, sharing its riches with other more-needy provinces – all the while with insufficient representation in national government. One example: In 2022, Alberta contributed $14.2 billion more to federal revenues than it received back in federal spending.

Alberta secessionist flag — Source: Wikimedia Commons

A sovereign country?

Another example, Canada’s four Atlantic provinces with 2.4 million people in total have 32 members in Parliament, but Alberta with 4.4. million people has only 37 MPs. 

And finally: Alberta makes up only about 10% of Canada’s parliament, the House of Commons. But economically, the oil-producing province contributes 17% to the country’s GDP.

The Alberta Prosperity Project is the organization that is spearheading Alberta’s separatist movement. It needs 177,000 signatures in order to request the provincial government for a referendum on separatism. That should not be difficult among a voting population of roughly 3.2 million: at last week’s town hall meeting on the issue in Calgary, it was standing room only. Aiming for a referendum by the end of the year, they’ve already unveiled their referendum question: “Do you agree that the province shall become a sovereign country and cease to be a province of Canada?”

Albrexit blues

Premier Smith claims that she’s not taking a stand on the question – she’s merely facilitating the will of the people. However, her government is not closing down the idea of separation and has set a low bar for such a critical referendum. She seems to be taking the kind of ambiguous stance that erstwhile UK Prime Minister David Cameron took ahead of the Brexit vote – and the danger may also be the same.

A land-locked territory on its own seems impractical, if not down-right unsustainable.

Perhaps Smith sees the referendum as a negotiation tactic to get a more equitable deal from the federal government. But then, the timing – when Canada is under threat of tariffs and possibly even annexation from the U.S. President – is distasteful to say the least. She has been accused of manufacturing a national unity crisis when it is least needed.

Like much of Canada, Alberta is rich in resources and industry – including agriculture, cattle, dairy farms, forestry, as well as construction, real estate, finance, and insurance. On top of that, Alberta has oil. While I can understand the frustration felt by some Albertans, I also have a belief in Prime Minister Mark Carney’s words that “We are stronger together” – particularly in these uncertain times.

Besides, after secession, then what for Alberta? A land-locked territory on its own seems impractical, if not down-right unsustainable.

Yet Smith may have some very different ideas in mind. Since U.S. President Donald Trump came into office four months ago, she has made at least two trips to the U.S., not only to speak with Trump and his deputies but also to the heads of several far-right groups. It makes one wonder if she’s setting the foundation for an alliance with the U.S. – an alliance that may change the soul of Alberta in unpredictable ways.

Civil resistance

Thankfully, there are voices here speaking out against Alberta separating from Canada. Alberta’s New Decmcrat Party leader Naheed Nenshi is urging people not to treat this lightly because “it’s going to hurt the cause of the nation”.

Ordinary residents are flying Canadian flags. Among the most resonant voices are those of the First Nations, saying that in accordance with treaties and the constitution, Alberta is neither Smith’s nor the provincial government’s to give away. A letter from the Sturgeon Lake Cree Nation to Smith is short, powerful, and has a punchy conclusion: “If you or any Canadians are not happy living on Treaty lands, they are free to apply for citizenship elsewhere.”

Alberta as separate from the rest of Canada – or as part of the U.S.?

My father passed away three years ago, in his home in Calgary. On the day I am writing this, there is the kind of brilliant blue-sky outside that I’ve known my whole life. As my mom and I drive down Shaganappi Trail, we can see the snow-capped Rockies on the horizon. Inside Market Mall, we go for a slow but steady morning walk. The mall opened in 1971, has been renovated several times, and now has a bevy of smart international and local shops and a buzzing food court with multiple cuisines.

We drop into Tim Hortons for a coffee (a “small regular”) and, if I’m really good, a couple of Tim Bits (“honey dip” please). The company was founded in 1964 and named after a popular ice hockey player from Ontario, Tim Horton. On the way home, we stop by the Coop grocery store for some blueberries (from British Columbia) and milk (from Alberta of course). The Calgary Coop was founded in the 1950s by local farmers and ranchers to sell their products.

Alberta as separate from the rest of Canada — or as part of the U.S.? My heart finds it difficult to imagine either.

*Originally published on May 18, 2025, this article was updated May 22, 2025 with enriched media.