Alberta Independence Petition Hits Milestone

0:00The stay-free Alberta petition just hit the magic number of 177,732 signatures a full month ahead of the May 2nd deadline, pushing for a referendum on whether the province should break away from Canada and go independent. Organizer Mitch Silvestra, who runs a family sporting good store, announced a milestone on a Zoom call with Canvasers Monday night. His straight-up question for voters, do you agree Alberta should cease being part of Canada to become its own state? He argues it's the fix for boosting oil, cutting immigration, and shaking off federal control from Ottawa. Polling shows only a minority of Albertans back full separation, but the movement's frustration is splitting provincial politics wide open. Premier Danielle Smith insists she's pro-Canada, yet she's lower petition thresholds, and welcome diverse views in her party after one MLA publicly. Back to vote. Signatures aren't submitted yet, though wait till deadline. Then elections Alberta has up to 21 days to verify voters,

1:02especially Trichyan, rural spots with PO boxes. Silvestra claims strict checks kept in valid ones under 2%. Meanwhile, a pro-Stay-in-Canada petition got over 400,000 verified last fall, and the government's tweaking laws to limit future ones around elections. With an October referendum already set on gripes like Senate seats and immigration, this could join the ballot if it clears, wrapping up the sovereignty debate across the prairies. That's your Canada News Today update. AI powered and always on.