Large crowds gathered outside two bustling community halls in central Alberta on Wednesday evening for town meetings centered on the idea of the province pursuing independence from Canada. The gatherings, held in Red Deer and Eckville, were orchestrated by the Stay Free Alberta campaign. Participants had the opportunity to learn more about the campaign advocating for a referendum on independence and to endorse a petition supporting this cause.
One prevailing sentiment among attendees was a yearning for change. Sara Moberg, who queued to sign the petition in Red Deer, expressed her dissatisfaction, stating, “I don’t think that we’re heard here in Alberta as they are in the East, and we want to see some change.”
The petition, initiated by Mitch Sylvestre, the CEO of the Alberta Prosperity Project, received approval from Elections Alberta in December to commence signature collection. Stay Free Alberta aims to amass nearly 178,000 signatures within the next four months.
Motivated by concerns for the future, Moberg emphasized the importance of standing up for beliefs to secure a better tomorrow for her children. Tracy Worthington, another attendee at the Red Deer event, voiced her desire for “independence and the ability to govern ourselves without any federal overreach.”
Brandie Bowman expressed confidence in the group’s ability to reach the required signature count and highlighted grievances such as fatigue with equalization payments and the potential benefits of sovereignty. Sylvestre, thrilled with the turnout for signature collection, described the campaign as a “true grassroots movement” with over 2,000 canvassers already involved.
Darwin Graff, a resident of Sylvan Lake, acknowledged potential challenges in the event of a successful referendum but remained optimistic about Alberta’s prosperous future post-independence. The campaign plans to host additional petition signing events in various locations across the province in the upcoming weeks.
Despite a previous referendum question being deemed unconstitutional, recent amendments to Bill 14 allow for citizen initiatives to proceed even without prior assessment of constitutionality. The “Forever Canadian” petition, contrasting the independence movement, garnered over 400,000 votes and aims to maintain Alberta’s status within Canada. Sylvestre indicated that the total number of petition signatories would be disclosed at the conclusion of the collection period.