A campaign pushing for a referendum on Alberta’s independence from Canada extends its petition drive to Yuma, Arizona, this weekend. Organizers target Albertans wintering in the sunny U.S. state to boost signatures.
Arizona Petition-Signing Event
The Alberta Prosperity Project, via Stay Free Alberta, schedules an event at Martha’s Gardens date farm in Yuma. Amid cacti, oil pumpjacks, and a blended Alberta-Arizona flag, the invitation urges snowbirds to bring valid proof of Alberta residency and identity. It also recruits canvassers to gather signatures from fellow Albertans abroad.
“Calling all Alberta Snowbirds in Yuma, Arizona! With the petition drive in full swing (launched Jan 3, 2026, running until ~May 2), don’t miss your chance to add your voice from the sunny south!” states a related social media post.
Petition Details and Referendum Question
This Citizens’ Initiative Petition seeks a provincial referendum on Alberta Independence. The proposed question reads: “Do you agree that the Province of Alberta should cease to be a part of Canada to become an independent state?”
Timeline and Signature Goals
Authorities approved the petition application on Dec. 22, 2025, and issued it on Jan. 2, 2026. Signature collection runs from Jan. 3 to May 2, 2026, requiring at least 177,732 valid names—10% of votes from the last provincial election. Organizers have not disclosed current totals.
For comparison, the anti-separatist Alberta Forever Canada petition, issued July 30, 2025, collected over 400,000 signatures. Its question: “Do you agree that Alberta should remain in Canada?”
Premier Smith’s Separate Referendum Plans
Alberta Premier Danielle Smith announced a distinct referendum for Oct. 19, 2026, featuring nine questions. Immigration topics include greater provincial control, limits on new arrivals’ access to funded programs, and citizenship proof for provincial voting.
Constitutional issues cover collaborating with other provinces on judge selection for provincial courts, Senate abolition, penalty-free opt-outs from overlapping federal programs, and provincial law priority over conflicting federal ones.
Key Reactions
Former Alberta Premier Jason Kenney shared the event details online, stating: “For generations Albertans have made astonishing sacrifices to build Canada, to defend it, and even to die for our country as the true North strong and free. But some rich Canadians who spend half the year sunning themselves in Arizona are going to take a break from their regular golf-and-happy-hour routine to drop by and sign a petition, in a foreign land, to tear apart the country built by their ancestors. For shame.”
Premier Smith has not signed the petition and plans not to. “I believe that a citizen-initiated process is meant for citizens, and so I’m watching all of the petition campaigns that are out there,” she said at a recent event. “If any of them get the requisite number of signatures, then we’ll have to talk about prioritizing when we would have a referendum on them.”
Outcomes of Prior Alberta Referendums
Alberta held two referendums in 2021. Voters supported removing section 36(2) of the Constitution Act, 1982—on equalization payments—by 61.7%, with about one-third turnout. No federal changes followed.
On year-round Daylight Saving Time, 49.8% voted yes versus 50.2% no, with similar turnout. No implementation occurred, despite neighboring Saskatchewan’s year-round standard time policy.
