Albertans reject separation in historic vote, CTV News projects. Live updates.

The Alberta government is currently receiving some support for the other nine questions in this referendum.

As of 1 a.m. on Tuesday, 'yes' leads 'no' by at least 40,000 in all five immigration questions.

The remaining four questions are much closer and some have changed back and forth multiple times.

Votes for Alberta to remain in Canada surpassed the one-million mark just before 1 a.m. MT early Tuesday morning.
The option to hold a second referendum has received just over 300,000 votes.
The full count for this question is expected to be released by 4 a.m. MT. 

Prime Minister Mark Carney said Albertans made a clear choice in the referendum.

"They chose unity, to build together, and to take care of each other," he said in a statement. "Above all, Albertans chose Canada."

Carney said with the initial results announced, Albertans and their fellow Canadians can move forward together with a renewed purpose.

"Canada is so much greater than the sum of its parts. Now it is our opportunity to take all that we have been given as Canadians – and we have been given the greatest country in the world – and make our country better for all of us,” he said. 

Alberta Premier Danielle Smith said she’s "very pleased to see the initial results from Elections Alberta show widespread support for remaining in Canada."
"Thank you to all Albertans who took time to vote on these critically important referendum questions," the premier wrote in a social media post.
Smith will address Albertans on Tuesday at 6:45 p.m. MT.

While Elections Alberta is unofficially reporting a landslide of support for Option 1 on Question 10, results for the other nine questions are so far split.

The five questions on immigration are seeing slightly higher support than the four constitutional questions.
 
Official results on the nine questions are expected to come in over the following days.

Initial results from a week of advance voting and mail-in ballots are coming in hot as Elections Alberta confirms all polls have closed.

So far, around 80 per cent of just over one million voters have voted to remain in Canada. 

That’s nearly 800,000 votes so far for Option 1 on Question 10. 
More than 2.2 million valid votes were cast, according to Elections Alberta. 

Keith Wilson, the co-chair for the group Let Alberta Decide, says he's cautiously optimistic about the results of Monday's vote.

"We've seen other historical examples like Brexit, for example, and the election of Donald Trump as against Hillary Clinton. Those were very polarising, so people weren't talking about how they were truly voting when they were talking to pollsters," he told CTV News Calgary.

"A little bit of me is hoping for a big upset, but even if we get in the high 30s or into the 40s, I'll be very satisfied with that because it shows this is a serious topic."

No matter the outcome of the vote, Wilson says it won't be the end of the separatism discussion, and he hopes it becomes a more mainstream topic. 

"Regardless of what happens tonight, it's going to keep going forward," he said.

"I think we're having the important discussions, and hopefully in time it will become less polarising, because I do believe that we need fundamental constitutional reforms, change to statutes, so that Albertans can feel that there have proper democratic representation, and we can address equalisation."

The leader of separatist group Alberta Prosperity Project says votes among rural and urban voters will differ.
 
“Regardless of how this works out, there is going to be lots of support for Alberta independence in rural Alberta,” said Mitch Sylvestre at an event in Edmonton, adding that he’s seen support for separation in the capital region as well.
 
The independence leader added that there are several rural MLAs that have voiced support for separating.
 
“As a consequence to that, that puts a little pressure on the government,” Sylvestre told CTV News Edmonton. “If we’re over 40 per cent, it’s game on.”

Elections Alberta confirmed that as of 10:35 p.m. MT, one poll has yet to close. 

Some Cardston-Siksika residents who got in line before 8 p.m. are still voting. Until the last Albertan wishing to vote gets to cast a ballot, a polling station cannot close. 

Official results can’t be reported until all stations are closed. Anyone refreshing election results should see data trickling in as soon as the delay is over.

Voting results can start being reported now that polls have officially closed, according to Elections Alberta.

More than 100 voting stations had extended hours after they didn’t open on time this morning due to various issues.

Elections Alberta said results for question 10 – asking if Alberta should remain in Canada or have a second, binding referendum – should start coming in Monday night through Tuesday morning.

More than a third of eligible voters cast their ballot in advanced polls or by mail.

Separatist and legal counsel for the Alberta Prosperity Project said the premier is preventing the province from leaving Confederation.

“Alberta will never be independent as long as Danielle Smith is the leader of the United Conservative Party,” said Jeffrey Rath at an event in Edmonton. “We’ve created a political movement and we’re not going to stop until Alberta becomes a free and independent country and becomes the wealthiest country in the world.”

The Alberta Prosperity Project launched a petition asking if the province should leave Canada earlier this year. The petition was quashed in court after a judge ruled that the UCP government did not consult with First Nations properly as required in the Constitution.

Smith then announced question 10, citing the legal uncertainty of the court decision on the separatist petition as a reason.

Edmonton Mayor Andrew Knack says he’s voted for Canada and against the other nine questions – and hopes those voting similarly haven’t gotten too comfortable. 

“Had you asked me two months ago, I was unsure. There was, in a way, a bit of complacency it felt like was settling in,” he told CTV News Edmonton on Monday. 

“I think at some point people realized, ‘Well, no, we actually all have to do something if we’re going to ensure that we stay part of Canada.’”

In Calgary, voters bustled in and out of Grace Presbyterian Church in the morning. Those coming out were given yellow stickers saying: "I voted."

Scott Hill, donning a baseball cap with a Maple Leaf, said he's respectful of everyone's opinion. But for him, the referendum is "surreal," and his vote was to stay.

"People are angry, I can see that. But we're Canadian, we need to stand together," he said, noting his grandfather fought in the Second World War.

"This is without a doubt the most important vote I've ever done."

Forever Canadian campaign volunteer Amir Morv says the team was motivated by a love for Canada.

"We all love this country, and for us, that is the main reason and motivation for all of us to work on this campaign," he told CTV News Edmonton.

"I think we were successful at bringing a wide range of Albertans together around the same cause and we all did whatever we could to make sure our message is spread across the province," he added.

"I hope tonight the result will be something we can all be happy about."

Red Deer-South MLA Jason Stephan announced Monday night that he won’t be seeking re-election next year.

Stephan has publicly stated that he voted in favour of a second, binding referendum on Alberta separating from Canada.

“Because my duty is to seek freedom and prosperity for Albertans, I have sought to speak the truth as I best understand it,” wrote Stephan in a letter. “That duty continues.

“The status quo is not the right way for Albertans.”

Stephan went on to say there are many men and women in Red Deer who would make excellent MLAs.

The United Conservative Party MLA was elected in 2019.

Edmonton Centre MP and Minister of Emergency Management Eleanor Olszewski says a 50 per-cent plus one vote for Alberta to stay in Canada would not be sufficient.

"In my view we need a resounding rejection of separatism," she told CTV News Edmonton on Monday evening.

"This has gone on long enough, it's caused a lot of uncertainty and problems in the business community, and out of all the points of time in our history this is when we need to be unified as a country, and I think this referendum has done anything but that."

Olszewski says she's heard from Albertans over recent months that they support Prime Minister Mark Carney's government, but she accepts that many Albertans still have issues with Ottawa.

"We know that today's not the finish line. Things aren't over once the votes are counted," she said.

"Our government will continue to work with Alberta in partnership, in collaboration, on major projects, on defence, and in many other ways."

The co-chair of one of several groups advocating for Alberta’s separation says the campaign has been a success regardless of the outcome.

“I’ve said that publicly, that I think we’ve won,” said Keith Wilson of Let Alberta Decide.

“We’ve won in the sense that the goal was to have a serious, adult discussion about how Alberta’s place can be improved within Confederation,” he added, “even if that means the risk that we go all the way and hold a second vote in the future for secession.”

Let Alberta Decide held an event on Monday night in Calgary’s East Village to gather and listen to referendum results.

Organizers previously admitted it would be an uphill battle to convince residents that separation is viable and necessary.

Stephen Hunt, CTVNewsCalgary.ca Digital Producer

Election Day watch parties began gathering around 8 p.m. local time in Edmonton. 

From the capital city’s Polish Hall, Forever Canadian proponent Thomas Lukaszuk told CTV News that Albertans have been “very much engaged” in the separation debate. 

One third of eligible Alberta voters have so far cast their ballot in the past week. 

“I think the voter turnout will be better than average … It has to be a sound reaffirmation of us wanting to be in Canada,” he said. 

He says it’s been a pleasure to lead Alberta’s unity campaign and hopes a pro-Canada vote is “decisive” enough to avoid another referendum. 

“Premier Danielle Smith, under this referendum act, gets to decide what is and isn’t a win.”

Elections Alberta says the late starts at more than 100 polls are par for the course. 

“Delayed openings happen during every electoral event,” the agency said in an X reply. “With 1,400 locations, it is to be expected.” 

The reasons included sick calls, late staff arrivals, technology issues and “incorrect material set up.” 

Some Alberta polls have closed as of 8 p.m. MT, but no results can be published until two hours later. 

Chief of the Mikisew Cree First Nation Government is hopeful Alberta will remain part of Canada.

“I am feeling pretty confident that we are going to vote in favour of remaining in Canada,” Melody Lepine said in an interview with CTV News Channel on Monday.

Calling the referendum a “distraction,” she expressed hope that everyone can move past the vote and instead focus on “key challenges."

Lepine said her community is downstream on Athabasca River from major Alberta oil sands operators, who have pushed for treat-and-release regulations to filter and discharge treated wastewater into the river. She said that poses “critical health issues” for her community, citing unproven technologies, cancer risks, and historical toxic leaks.

The chief expressed hope that the issue would be addressed by the federal government.

“Separating does not make sense, not right now,” she concluded, adding there are other “pressing issues” to deal with. 

If Alberta were to move to separate from Canada, the departure would have "'huge economic implications," one economist says.

In an interview with CTV News Channel on Monday, Colin Mang said Alberta’s trade is closely connected with the rest of the country. For instance, he said Alberta sends about $100 billion worth of products to other provinces while importing roughly the same amount of items from other provinces.

“About 32 per cent of Alberta businesses sell to customers in other provinces -- that's the highest rate anywhere in the country. It's about five percentage points higher than the national average,"  said Mang, an assistant professor of economics at McMaster University in Hamilton, Ont.

What’s more, Mang said the province makes up nearly 16 per cent of the country's national income while it’s about 12 per cent of the Canadian population. The per person income in the province is about 28 per cent higher than in the rest of the country, he added.

 "So Alberta is very deeply integrated with the rest of the country and if they chose to separate, that would have huge economic implications for Canada but also for Alberta specifically,” he said. 

The prospect of a “yes” vote to hold a binding referendum on separation has made some Alberta businesses nervous, CTV News chief financial correspondent Amanda Lang said Monday.

 

Alberta’s economy could shrink by as much as $62 billion a year if the province splits from Canada, according to a survey conducted by the Calgary Chamber of Commerce. The chamber also warned of an exodus of members to other provinces in that eventuality.

 

Lang noted the potential of a changing relationship between Alberta and Canada throwing businesses off, especially since “we’ve just invited them back to the oil sands, the oil sector” and it might “send the dollars the other way.”

With files from Elvy Alias

In 1995, Quebecers voted by a razor-thin margin to remain in Canada. Just 50.58 per cent said “no” to separation. 

Thirty-one years ago, Gary and Yveline, who asked that their last name not be used, voted for Quebec to remain part of Canada. Now living in Alberta, the husband and wife say they’re in favour of leaving. 

“We didn’t think that Quebec had the ability to survive on their own,” Gary said. “Alberta can actually survive on its own financially ... I think Alberta could make a good go of it.”

With voting well underway, Elections Alberta says the magnitude of the referendum is something they haven’t experienced.

“The scope and scale of this is something we have not seen before,” said spokesperson Michelle Gurney.

More than 1,400 voting locations are open across the province, some of which were delayed in opening. Gurney said she didn’t have details as to why certain polls opened late, but ensured those stations would have extended hours as a result.

Several locations during the advanced polls last week opened late due to technical issues.

Gurney said Elections Alberta printed 45 million ballots, which is a buffer consistent with past elections. 

Some First Nations communities with voting stations have seen higher than anticipated attendance, prompting couriers to deliver more ballots to accommodate the demand.

She added that since 2023, three stations have been added in First Nations communities, bringing the unofficial number up to 36.

Results on question 10 are expected to start coming in after 10 p.m. MT.

Kind Ice Cream is offering free kids scoops to voters at all its Edmonton locations on Monday. 

“Right now, it feels like things are so divisive, but everyone likes ice cream, and so it seems like a good way to bring people together,” Kind Ice Cream’s Anna Dundas Richter said.

Electors will have to show proof that they voted in person or by mail.

The shop said on social media that proof could be a selfie outside your polling station or your special ballot request confirmation.

Former Alberta political figures shared their thoughts about the referendum during an interview on CTV's Power Play with Vassy Kapelos on Monday.

Former Alberta premier Rachel Notley said she hopes the referendum is just a "moment" that won’t last for too long.

“But at the moment, I think this is a really critical opportunity for Albertans to have their say on their loyalty to our country, and I'm looking forward to it,” she said.

Anne McLellan, previously the Liberal MP for Edmonton Centre and deputy prime minister of Canada, echoed Prime Minister Mark Carney's message when Kapelos asked her about Albertans' frustration with Ottawa.

"If you're talking about those people who want to send a message, I can do no better than the prime minister,” she said. “This is a dangerous, difficult, complex time for Canada and the world, and this is not a time to be playing a game of poker with the future of our province or the future of our country.”

James Rajotte, Alberta's former senior representative to the U.S., shared his message to Albertans.

"Think in terms of, if you choose to separate, you're separating from your fellow Canadians," he added. 

Some Edmonton voters said they were frustrated after their polling station opened more than an hour late. 

"We asked them, they said 30 more minutes, not guaranteed, and a lot of people just left," said Jaswinder Dhillon, a voter at Constable Daniel Woodall School. "The worst thing is you can't vote anywhere else, and you have to vote."

Voters said they weren't told why the opening had been delayed by an hour and 15 minutes. 

"There were mixed responses, but they didn't give us a clear response at all," said Tooba Mahmood.  

"When people make time, the voting station should be open," said Derran Guinan. "I wanted to make sure I voted today, no matter what. My opinion counts." 

The leader of Alberta’s NDP said Danielle Smith had reached an unprecedented low in her premiership.

“In Alberta, the whole economy is boom and bust. It’s always been like that,” Opposition leader Naheed Nenshi told CTV Power Play’s Vassy Kapelos on Monday.

“Every other premier of Alberta has managed to handle those up and down cycles. Even when I was mayor of Calgary, we had to do that without scapegoating immigrants for the challenges in the health care and education system,” he said.

Nenshi called the nine questions on the referendum that weren’t about separation “dog whistles.”

“Denying refugee children the right to public education would not make classrooms any smaller, it would not improve public education for anyone else,” he said.

He added that restricting public health-care access for international students and workers wouldn’t help the “crisis” in waiting rooms.

“It’s just looking for someone to blame,” he said.

“What I think Albertans are looking for is a government that gets down to work, fixing classrooms, fixing emergency rooms, without just looking for someone to blame.”

A political scientist at the University of Alberta worries that both the federalist and separatist sides of the Question 10 debate could opt not to accept the results of the referendum. 

“What I am going to be watching for is them saying things like the vote was rigged, or the election was stolen. That’s the kind of rhetoric that I think is really dangerous, and we’ve seen south of the border,” Feo Snagovsky told CTV News Edmonton.   

Whichever way the vote goes in the end, Snagovsky said the conversation around separation is "definitely not over." 

"I think the grievances and the people that have entered this movement are not just going to recede into the woodwork, Homer-Simpson style, into the bushes. It's not going to happen,” Snagovsky said. 

The government of Alberta banished voting tabulators in 2024, saying it would improve faith in election outcomes.

A former Progressive Conservative deputy Alberta premier said the referendum has already sent a clear message to Ottawa.

“This referendum comes at the worst time possible, compliments of Premier Danielle Smith,” Thomas Lukaszuk, who founded the Forever Canadian petition, told CTV News Channel on Monday.

Lukaszuk said Ottawa has heard Alberta’s grievances and is working to strengthen the relationship. Prime Minister Mark Carney has visited Alberta more during the last 18 months than the last two prime ministers did combined, he said.

“Your message has already been sent,” he said to those who wanted to use their vote to signal grievances with Ottawa.

“Be careful because you’re also sending a message to investors at a time when we need a lot of investment in this province for some of the major nation-building projects that are being announced,” he said.

“We’re playing with fire, because we saw what happens with sending messages through a ballot during Brexit.” 

Former Alberta premier Rachel Notley, who led the Alberta NDP, says she is cautiously optimistic that Albertans will vote to remain a part of Canada.

“I think Albertans are frustrated that we’ve been dragged into this situation,” she said in an interview with CTV News Channel on Monday.

Notley added that most Albertans understand the uncertainties caused by the situation, including the ones that affect business in the province.

She also noted that the situation has caused an unnecessary division among people.

“A strong majority of Albertans are proud Canadians and want to remain in Canada,” she said.

The former premier said it is the same case in most other Canadian provinces.

Notley blamed “a dysfunctional governing party and a premier that has done everything she can to enable this question,” for Alberta’s current situation.

The co-chair of an Alberta independence group says she was "surprised" Premier Danielle Smith had decided to "campaign against" the province separating from Canada.

"I was surprised when she took an adversarial position against the independence movement, which was a large portion of her base, and then began to kind of actively campaign against the independence movement," Tanya Clemens, co-chair of "Let Alberta Decide,” said in an interview with CTV News Channel on Monday.

"I believe that a leader of that level especially should stay neutral and wait for a mandate from the people, which is what the referendum delivers.”

Although Smith had urged Albertans to support the other nine questions on the referendum ballot, she said she voted for the province to stay in Canada last week and encouraged others to follow suit.

Clemens said there’s “irony” in Smith’s actions, noting that the movement was trying to empower Smith to "have leverage and negotiating strength" in talks with Ottawa.

A former Progressive Conservative Alberta MLA said that Premier Danielle Smith has “painted herself into a corner.”

Speaking to CTV News Channel on Monday, Brent Rathgeber, a federalist who co-manages the Forever Canadian petition, said Smith’s referendum has united separatists and federalists against her.

“I don’t think there’s going to be a clear decisive winner or loser,” he said. “I know the premier very much wants a ‘Yes’ mandate with respect to those nine questions, I think she’ll be disappointed.”

He called Smith “too clever by half.”

“She thought that she could give the separatists this referendum, allow them a safety valve, blow off some steam, it would lose and that she would maintain their confidence, but it's backfired on her.”

Smith has managed to do something Rathgeber thought was “unthinkable” a year ago, he explained.

“She’s united separatists and federalists, like myself, in unity with respect to wanting somebody different in the premier’s chair.” 

With the separatist movement gaining momentum over the past couple of months, Jason Kenney, a former Alberta premier and federal Conservative cabinet minister, shared his prediction for what could happen if Albertans choose not to proceed with a binding referendum.

Kenney said the various separatist organizations have never “really agreed on a particular approach, strategy or message” and could therefore take different paths after the decision.

“I am concerned that if there is such a thing as moderate separatists, the folks who are more plugged into political reality, (they) will say, ‘OK, we had our shot, this is over, let's move on, let's fight for a stronger Alberta and Canada,’” he told CTV News Channel on Monday.

However, Kenney says “hardcore” separatists, including groups like the Alberta Prosperity Project, will likely not “let down.”

He says the Alberta Prosperity Project will continue the debate at the United Conservative Party convention in November, where it has a motion to turn the party into an officially separatist party.

Calgarians weighed in on the importance of voting as they left polls Monday. 

"This is a turning point in Canada's history. It's a major decision to think about a divorce or a reconciliation, but something has to happen. Something has to change," said one voter. 

One voter brought her kids along to learn more about the voting process to help teach them about democracy. 

"It's very important for them to see that. We have a right here in our country to vote, and it's very important to exercise that," she said. "I'm a proud Albertans and I'm proud to vote today." 

Another voter said it was important for her as an Albertan and Canadian to vote for unity, though she questioned the need for a referendum right now. 

"I think some of the questions were interesting, and certainly it's worth getting a view for some Albertans to be able to say what they think and feel," she added. 

"[But] they shouldn't have called an extra election and paid more money for us to get these questions answered. If you want those questions answered, it should have been done at the same time that perhaps we were voting for a new premier."

The line outside a St. Albert polling station included at least one voter who had tried to vote by mail. 

Al Carlson said he put his special ballot package in the mail back to Elections Alberta weeks ago, but it was never marked as received.  

"I've been trying online all week long, checking to make sure that the thing was received, but nothing showed up," Carlson said.

"I'm here to make sure that my ballot gets cast."

A former New Democratic Party leader said he believes Albertans will vote against breaking up Canada.

Albertans are “looking at what’s actually on the table,” said Tom Mulcair, CTV News' political commentator.

They see the referendum as a debate about breaking up Canada, rather than a political “message,” he added.

Mulcair said that the message from senior political leaders who want a “no” vote “went through.”

“The more votes expressed against this very bad idea, the better it is,” he told CTV News Channel on Monday.

However, he warned against dismissing pro-separatists, based on past experience.

“Be careful with language. Show respect,” he said. “It has to do with grievances of the past.”

On referendum day, Prime Minister Mark Carney was back in Ottawa to address the House of Commons following the tragedy at Canadian Forces Base Wainwright, saying it “touches every corner of our nation.”

A fire left four Canadian Armed Forces members dead and dozens more wounded over the weekend.

Carney made the remarks Monday morning after MPs observed a moment of silence.

“These were sons, brothers, partners, friends, young men with bright futures who chose to serve our country and who died in that cause,” Carney said. “We will honour them always.”

“When people see the maple leaf on the sleeve, they see hope and they get help,” he also said. “The soldiers who were training at Wainwright on Saturday belong to that proud tradition.”

Carney said 50 investigators are on the ground working alongside the RCMP to determine the cause of the fire. He said the ministers of national defence and emergency management are also in Alberta to co-ordinate with their provincial counterparts.

“I would like to thank (Alberta) Premier (Danielle) Smith and the government of Alberta for their seamless partnership,” Carney said. “Alberta's health workers are carrying an enormous load with extraordinary dedication, professionalism, and skill.”

The House has adjourned for the rest of the day to mark the tragedy.

Spencer Van Dyk, CTVNews.ca Journalist

An economist at the University of Calgary says the province separating from Canada is not a “very effective economic development strategy.”

Trevor Tombe says the economic and fiscal frustrations of Albertans have fuelled the desire for separation, however, separating is likely to create more obstacles for the province.

“Alberta leaving Confederation is not something that would actually improve Alberta's economy or finances,” Tombe told CTV News Channel on Monday.

While the province may appear to gain money by keeping taxes that currently go to Ottawa, Tombe says the additional costs of operating as an independent country could wipe out those savings.

Tombe cited the conundrum of whether Alberta will use its own currency or adopt the Canadian dollar, as well as how trade to the U.S. and the rest of Canada will affect Alberta's economy.

“Setting up a new national border between Alberta and what are now other provinces of Canada would add friction and costs to a lot of those trade transactions,” Tombe said.

More than 1,400 polling stations in Alberta opened for voting at 9 a.m. 

Dozens of people were in line to vote at St. Albert United Church northwest of Edmonton at 8:45 a.m. 

Those queued up told CTV News Edmonton their mail-in ballot was not received in time, they are not computer savvy, or that they tried to vote at advance polls but the lines were too long. 

Carney and Poilievre wrapped pro-Canada tours in Alberta days before Monday’s referendum. 

Carney leveraged his Edmonton roots during his speech in the capital city Friday evening.

“A vote against Canada is a dangerous bluff that will lead to years of deep uncertainty and lost opportunities for Albertans and Canadians,” he told a crowd of thousands. “Our country and your futures are too precious to play games with.” 

Poilievre, similarly, told Albertans they were “not quitters.” 

“To those people who are thinking about taking out their frustration on the current government by voting for separation in the referendum, I say this: Canada is more than a government. It is a people, a flag, a land, a history and a promise.” 

Surface-level tensions between Carney and Smith still lay in the other nine questions – to which Smith wants a mandate of “yes” from Albertans where the prime minister urged a “no.” 

Using the separation question to send a “message” to Ottawa about Albertans’ frustrations is “very dangerous,” an Alberta anti-separatist said.

If that’s what some Albertans are trying to do, Thomas Lukaszuk, founder of pro-unity group Forever Canadian, told CTV’s Your Morning on Monday that “it has already been heard.”

“But keep in mind that you’re also sending that very same message to investors, to the capital that Alberta needs so badly to build the pipelines and refineries that we need,” he said.

“The message is don’t invest in Alberta because we are unstable at this point.” 

By adding a separation question to the referendum, the Alberta premier has shown First Nations that “she completely disregards the law,” one chief says.

“To have a referendum is utter nonsense,” Sturgeon Lake Cree Nation Chief Sheldon Sunshine told CTV’s Your Morning on Monday.

He said he hasn’t seen any outreach from anyone on what the aftermath could look like.

“It’s been talk. It’s been rhetoric,” he said. “I haven’t seen anything tangible that would benefit anyone.”

Sunshine suggested focusing a referendum on issues with "serious impacts," such as health care, education and data centres.

“Yet, we get a lot of questions on immigrants,” he said.

“... It’s just a smokescreen.” 

Prime Minister Mark Carney's win in last year's federal election appears to have been the “fundamental trigger” behind the separation movement’s resurgence, a political expert in Alberta says.

“There’s a partisan element to it,” said Duane Bratt, political science professor at Mount Royal University in Calgary, told CTV’s Your Morning on Monday.

“Separatism tends to be stronger when the Liberals are in office” in Ottawa, he said.

Alberta Premier Danielle Smith has also acted more sympathetically towards the movement than her predecessors, he added.

“Other premiers would fight Ottawa ... but no one would have made the legal changes necessary for the separatist movement like Danielle Smith has.”