Introduction:
Alberta’s separatist movement has been a prominent issue in Canadian politics since 1974, with the introduction of the Independent Alberta Association. Issues such as the price of Alberta oil, the increased alienation of the province, and no return on investment for Equalization Payments have made Albertans feel unwelcome in their own country. This has sparked a new wave of separatism, which has made substantial changes in the past months.
History of Alberta’s Separatist Movement:
As mentioned previously, the idea of separatism sparked in 1974, with the creation of the Independent Alberta Association. The province of Alberta is one of the few Prairie Provinces with substantial levels of oil, gas, and coal. It holds one of the largest oil and gas reserves in Canada, and is a prominent contribution to the Canadian economy. Many Albertans feel as though their contributions do not equate to their representation in Parliament. Canada’s parliamentary voting system is different from the United States’ presidential system. During federal elections, citizens vote for a Member of Parliament who represents their constituency. Whichever party has a higher number of elected MP’s becomes the government, and elects their leader as Prime Minister. Provinces such as Ontario and Quebec have a larger population, which means that there are more constituencies in those areas. In total, Ontario has 122 federal ridings, and Alberta has 37. Ontario, therefore, has more influence towards federal elections. This has caused a feeling of alienation among the citizens of Alberta, which is one of the many driving factors of their separation.
Secondly, the oil which Alberta exports is heavy crude oil. This oil is distributed to other provinces in Canada as well as the United States. Heavy crude oil is more difficult to refine, requiring specialized refineries and more processing to turn into a consumer good. Because of this, it is shipped off to other areas of Canada to be refined and then sold. Factors such as the transportation and the amount of processing needed for the oil have reduced the price of Alberta’s oil. The West Texas Intermediate (WTI) is considered the world price of oil on average. The Western Canada Select (WCS) is the heavy crude oil exported from Alberta. The WCS tends to be about $12-$16 USD cheaper than the WTI. This price difference has been one of the most prominent grievances throughout the separatism movement.
Additionally, the province faces many grievances against Canada’s Equalization Payments. Equalization payments fund social programs and services that are offered to provinces with lower economic stability. Alberta is one of the highest profiting provinces, and because of this, they are unable to claim equalization payments for their programs. It is considered that Alberta can pay for their own public programs and services, but this has become an issue among Albertans. The Equalization payments are funded by the government, which comes from everybody’s taxes. Because Albertans pay taxes, but do not receive the benefits of the programs their taxes are funding, many Albertans see their tax money going towards other provinces besides their own.
Furthermore, to increase exports all across Canada, Alberta has continuously requested to build a pipeline to British Columbia. BC is the westmost province in Canada, and holds the Canadian Rocky Mountains. The pipeline towards BC is particularly difficult for multiple reasons. The first reason is that many of
Canada’s indigenous tribes reside in the Alberta-British Columbia land. Many indigenous groups have formed strong connections with Canada and the United Kingdom, and do not consent to having their land disrupted. The second reason is that the pipeline poses severe environmental threats which Canada is not willing to risk. Recently, the Prime Minister of Canada, the premier of Alberta, as well as the premier of British Columbia have been discussing the prospect and hypotheticals of building a pipeline. This new development has been an attempt to appease Alberta, and make Albertans feel that their voices are valued and heard. The pipeline will bring additional costs to Alberta because of the increase in production, which will be paid for by increasing the price of the WCS. Economists predict that this rise in oil cost will make it uncompetitive compared to other heavy crude oil companies. The new agreement between Ottawa and Alberta also includes a requirement to increase Alberta’s industrial carbon tax, which further drives up oil prices.
Alberta’s Referendum:
The leader of Alberta, Premier Danielle Smith, announced a referendum for October 19th, with 10 questions regarding separation. The first nine questions were regarding issues such as immigration, voting, and constitutional amending issues. The tenth question is: should Alberta remain a province of Canada, or should the Government of Alberta hold a legally binding referendum on whether or not Alberta should separate from Canada. If the majority of votes conclude to separate Alberta into its own sovereign nation, the government of Alberta will hold what is called a binding referendum, which begins the legal process of separation. Many people, including Premier Doug Ford of Ontario and Premier David Eby of British Columbia have accused Premier Smith of supporting the separatism movement. Though she frequently speaks of a united Canada, she lowered the required number of signatures on a petition to trigger a referendum. The previous requirement was 301,000 signatures to trigger a referendum. It was lowered to 178,000. That is roughly 10% of registered voters in Alberta. Smith claims she wants to support all Albertans, and that includes hearing the voices and complaints of all citizens.
If Alberta Separates:
Many think Alberta’s profits will increase after separation from Canada, but this is not entirely the case. If it decides to become its own sovereign nation, it becomes landlocked between Canada and the United States. Alberta would need to make negotiations with both countries. Alberta would lose the protection offered by Canada, and would need to rejoin all existing organizations such as the United Nations, CUSMA, and NATO. Furthermore, they would have much more difficulty convincing Canada to build a pipeline towards British Colombia. Historically, all talks about building the pipeline were to incentivize Alberta to stay in Canada. Furthermore, Alberta would be able to sell its heavy crude oil to Canada at world price; however, the cost of refining it would increase heavily, because Alberta exports much of its oil to be refined and processed, and because the demand for heavy crude oil is lower than light crude oil. If Alberta was no longer part of Canada, the latter would have no obligation in helping Alberta with its specialized refineries. It is highly likely that Alberta will increase exporting to the States. Many sources cite meetings between US officials and separatist leaders discussing building another pipeline from Alberta to the US, increasing oil exports and becoming a stronger partnership. By April 2026, US State Department officials had already met up with the leaders of the Separatism movements three times. US Treasury Board officials have been in support of an independent Alberta, and have even discussed a 500
Billion USD line of credit to support a smoother transition to independence. Many talks between US officials and separatist leaders were informal, but there were talks of the US supporting Alberta in developing an Alberta military. If separatism occurs, it is likely that Alberta would join the United States to become another territory.
Conclusion:
Alberta’s feeling of alienation is not a new issue. Alberta is a major contributor to Canada’s economy, and has been an employment hub for many Canadians because of their oil sector. Many citizens of Alberta believe that their efforts and contributions do not equate to their representation and voice in elections and other government issues. Another prominent issue that sparked Alberta separatism was the reduced price other provinces received of Alberta’s crude oil. Alberta has requested it be the same price as world oil, with little success. Another driving factor is the pipeline from Alberta to British Columbia that was not allowed to be built for many reasons, despite it increasing profits dramatically. Lastly, because Alberta is a higher profiting province than others, many Albertans feel that their taxes go towards programs and services that do not even benefit them. All these issues combined have created grievances against the Canadian government. The Independent Alberta Association has gained more traction since getting enough signatures on a separation petition. The Alberta referendum that will be held in October will have big implications on the future, and Alberta’s relationship with the United States.
- Guneet Bal, WACNH Intern
