EDMONTON — Alberta Premier Danielle Smith is to take questions from reporters today after announcing that if citizens gather enough signatures, she will call a referendum on separating from Canada.
Smith says she wants Alberta to remain in Canada, but there is a growing number of Albertans who are unhappy with Confederation and are organizing petitions to push for an exit.
Smith’s United Conservative government has introduced legislation that, if passed, would sharply lower the bar petitioners need to meet to trigger a provincial referendum.
Ontario Premier Doug Ford says the country needs to be united to fight U.S. President Donald Trump's tariffs, and now is not the time to threaten to leave the country.
In Quebec, the leader of the sovereigntist Parti Québécois says Smith is simply standing up for her province's autonomy.
Paul St-Pierre Plamondon says Smith has used the possibility of a referendum to give her province leverage as she makes demands of the federal government.
This report by The Canadian Press was first published May 6, 2025.
The Canadian Press
