Alberta Premier Danielle Smith has announced plans for the province to hold a non-binding vote on whether to separate from Canada.
The vote this autumn would be preliminary and could set-up a second binding referendum on separation at a later date.
The vote on whether oil-rich Alberta should leave Canada will be the first time that a province other than French-speaking Quebec has voted on separation.
The decision to hold the separation vote in the western Canadian province comes after months of campaigning and pressure from a group of separatists.
For her part, Alberta Premier Smith said that she and her government support the province remaining in Canada and would vote as such this fall.
However, Smith said she feels obligated to appease the separatist group “Stay Free Alberta” that has collected 301,000 signatures in support of their campaign to leave Canada.
Stay Free Alberta say the province has long been overlooked by politicians in Ottawa. The separatist movement in Alberta has been growing since the Covid-19 pandemic.
The provincial vote is scheduled to take place on Oct. 19 of this year and will put the following question to Albertans: “Should Alberta remain a province of Canada or should the Government of Alberta commence the legal process required under the Canadian Constitution to hold a binding provincial referendum on whether or not Alberta should separate from Canada?”
Alberta is Canada’s fourth most-populous province, with a population of five million people.
The province is well-known for its oil and natural gas deposits that contribute significantly to Canada’s national economy.
Alberta’s proven oil reserves are the fourth largest in the world after Venezuela, Saudi Arabia, and Iran.
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