Alberta separatist says members of Smith’s caucus have signed referendum petition

By Canadian Press on January 30, 2026.

EDMONTON — A leader of Alberta’s separatist movement says some members of Premier Danielle Smith’s United Conservative Party caucus have signed the petition looking to force a vote on the province quitting Canada.

“I know of (UCP members of the legislature) that have signed the petition,” Jeff Rath, a lawyer for Stay Free Alberta, the group organizing the petition campaign, said Thursday.

“We’re confident that more of them will (sign), because they believe in allowing Albertans to have a say in their future.

“It shouldn’t surprise anybody that UCP MLAs are signing the petition.”

The petition, launched earlier this month, calls for a referendum to ask Albertans: Do you agree that the province of Alberta should cease to be a part of Canada to become an independent state?

It needs to collect almost 178,000 signatures by May. If successful, it would then be up to Smith’s justice minister to refer it to the lieutenant-governor to call a referendum.

Rath wouldn’t name the caucus members who signed or say how many, citing confidentiality rules that dictate Alberta’s petition process.

Smith has faced and declined calls from other premiers this week to denounce the separation movement, especially after news that separatist leaders have been meeting with U.S. officials about their push for independence.

Smith’s office deferred questions about whether her legislature members have signed the petition to the UCP caucus. It said Rath doesn’t speak for its members.

“Our United Conservative government is focused on building a strong and sovereign Alberta within a united Canada,” the caucus said in a statement.

“That’s the work that we were elected to do, and that’s the work we’re doing every day.”

Opposition NDP Leader Naheed Nenshi called on UCP members who signed to speak up.

He said constituents deserve to know whether their elected representatives want Alberta to become its own country.

“If they don’t, we’ll just assume all of them signed the petition,” Nenshi said in an interview.

“(Smith) now is in charge of a separatist party and a separatist government, and she obviously cannot control her own MLAs.”

Earlier this week, Nenshi called on all legislature members to sign a pledge against separatism.

As of Thursday, no member of Smith’s caucus had stepped forward, he said.

“Separatism doesn’t lower the cost of living. It doesn’t build hospital beds. It doesn’t improve public education,” Nenshi said. “What it does is it scares away investment and costs us jobs everyday.”

B.C. Premier David Eby said Thursday that Alberta separatists, including Rath, have engaged in “treason” for meeting multiple times in recent months with U.S. State Department officials.

“It is completely inappropriate to seek to weaken Canada, to seek to go and ask for assistance to break up this country from a foreign power,” Eby said as premiers gathered in Ottawa to meet with Prime Minister Mark Carney.

Other premiers didn’t go so far, but many called on Smith to denounce the separation movement in her province.

“This is an opportunity for Premier Smith to stand up and say enough is enough,” said Ontario Premier Doug Ford.

“Either you’re with Canada or you’re not with Canada.”

After the meeting, Smith said she won’t demonize those in Alberta who have “lost hope” with Canada.

“What we need to do is we need to give Albertans hope,” she said. “We need to show them, not just tell them, not just words, but with actions that Canada can work.”

Smith said she expects the U.S. administration to respect Canada’s sovereignty and that she’ll be raising the issue with her delegate in Washington.

Rath said he attended meetings with U.S. officials but denied his actions amounted to treason.

As a private citizen, he doesn’t have the power to make agreements on behalf of the province, he said.

“We have not entered into any agreements with the United States with regard to anything. We have not solicited funds from them. We are not receiving funds from them,” he said.

He said he discussed with U.S. officials a $500 billion fund or loan to help Alberta transition into an independent country but that it was more hypothetical than a serious attempt to solicit funds from a foreign government.

The referendum petition, spearheaded by Mitch Sylvestre, a UCP constituency association president, has drawn large crowds across the province in recent weeks, with some Albertans waiting in long lines outside in the cold to sign.

“I think we’re exceeding everybody’s expectations,” said Rath.

“Everybody’s really excited and joyful about having the opportunity to sign Alberta out of Canada, and we’re going to keep moving forward.”