Hundreds line up near Edmonton to endorse referendum on Alberta leaving Canada

Crowds continued to gather Thursday at a community centre in Stony Plain, west of Edmonton, as Albertans lined up to sign a petition calling for a referendum on whether the province should separate from Canada.

Roughly an hour after the doors opened, staff checked to ensure the hall had not exceeded its 650-person fire capacity. The venue — typically marketed by the town as a wedding and event space — was filled with people waiting to add their names to the petition.

“It’s definitely not unusual,” said campaign volunteer Nicholas Kasper, noting that similar turnout has been seen at signing events across the province. Long lineups have formed both indoors and outdoors, despite winter conditions, since the petition received official approval from Alberta’s chief electoral officer nearly three weeks ago.

Among those waiting was Roger Cyr, who said he spent more than an hour in line.

“Ottawa doesn’t listen to us,” Cyr said. “That’s why we’re doing what we’re doing. They don’t have to like it, but that’s the way it is.”

Cyr and others said they believe Alberta would be financially better off as an independent jurisdiction, pointing to the federal equalization program, which redistributes funds among provinces based on revenue capacity.

“If other provinces can’t get their affairs in order and Alberta has to subsidize them, then the problem isn’t Alberta,” Cyr said.

Kelly Littlejohn, a volunteer helping manage foot traffic at the event, said she feels Alberta no longer shares the same values as the rest of the country.

“I think Canadian values are not Alberta values anymore,” she said. “They have their way, we have our way, and that’s fine — but we need to be separate.”

Littlejohn said she never expected to support leaving Canada but was deeply affected by last year’s federal election and the rise of the Liberal government under Prime Minister Mark Carney.

“I’ve always been proud to be Canadian,” she said. “I’m not anymore.”

Shirley and Dave Howard, who also signed the petition, expressed similar sentiments. Shirley Howard said she still loves Canada but no longer believes Alberta can remain part of the federation.

“There’s a lot to figure out if Alberta becomes its own country,” she said, adding that she believes the transition would be manageable with the right leadership. “We’ll work at it and get it done — because we’re Albertans.”

Dave Howard said he expects the federal government and national media would push what he described as fear-based messaging if a separation vote were to proceed.

Petition organizers say the campaign is being led by Mitch Sylvestre, a constituency association president for Premier Danielle Smith’s United Conservative Party and a founder of Stay Free Alberta.

While organizers have not released current signature counts, Kasper said he is confident the campaign will surpass the nearly 178,000 signatures required to trigger a referendum before the May deadline.

Asked why he supports separation, Kasper cited multiple federal policies, including bail reform and firearms and agricultural regulations.

“How much abuse can you put up with?” he said. “That’s the message from Albertans. People are exhausted.”