A new citizen initiative petition on Alberta separating from Canada has been approved. (Photo: Fintastique | Dreamstime.com)

By David Opinko

Citizen petition on Alberta separation approved

Jan 2, 2026 | 2:29 PM

A new petition aims to create a referendum on the separation of Alberta from Canada.

Chief Electoral Officer Gordon McClure has announced that a new citizen initiative petition has met the requirements under s.1.2 of the Citizen Initiative Act.

The proposed question asks: “Do you agree that the Province of Alberta should cease to be a part of Canada to become an independent state?”

The proponent is Mitch Sylvestre of the separatist group Alberta Prosperity Project.

Sylvestre and his canvassers will have until May 2, 2026, to gather 177,732 signatures, or 10 per cent of the total number of votes cast in the 2023 Provincial General Election.

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This petition asks a similar, yet different, question to the anti-separation petition from Alberta Forever Canada, which garnered more than 456,000 signatures last fall. It asked, “Do you agree that Alberta should remain within Canada?”

READ MORE: ‘Forever Canadian’ petition surpasses goal, collects 456K signatures

You can see all active citizen initiative petitions here.

More information on the new citizen initiative petition has been provided below by Elections Alberta:

Next steps

1. The proponent registers canvassers. Registered canvassers must be eligible electors and must comply with the Canvasser Code of Conduct and any guidelines for canvassing issued by the Chief Electoral Officer. Only registered canvassers may collect signatures on the petition.
2. Registered canvassers may collect signatures from eligible electors for a period of 120 days. Canvassers must witness each signature, view each elector’s ID which proves they are eligible to sign, and sign each petition signature sheet. For more information, see Citizen Initiative Process.
3. Eligible electors may sign the petition. Please see below for signature requirements.
4. The proponent must submit all petition signature sheets to Elections Alberta on or before May 2, 2026.
5. Any petition signature sheets received after May 2, 2026, will not be accepted.
6. Elections Alberta will verify the petition within 21 days from the date the petition is submitted (by May 23, 2026, if the petition is submitted on May 2, 2026) and report the results on our website. More information about the verification process is available on our Citizen Initiative Process webpage.

During the signature collection period, the proponent is responsible for:

• providing copies of the official petition signature sheets to canvassers,
• submitting completed canvasser applications to Elections Alberta (incomplete or ineligible applications will be returned to the proponent for correction),
• answering Albertan’s questions about signature collection and their petition, and
• providing canvassers with information on the process, timelines, contacts, supplies, and any other training and direction they feel is necessary to complete the canvassing period and ensure canvassers are following the requirements for signature collection.

Elections Alberta is responsible for:

• reviewing the canvasser applications and returning incomplete or invalid applications to the proponent,
• registering canvassers, and
• providing each registered canvasser with identification documents (ID) that must be produced on request while canvassing.

Elections Alberta will send out canvasser identification within 2 to 3 business days of receiving completed and valid applications from the proponent. This may be extended should a significant volume of canvasser applications for badges be received in a short time period. If Canada Post service is disrupted, an alternative delivery method will be used until normal service resumes.

Important: Bill 14: Justice Statutes Amendment Bill, 2025, which came into force on December 11, 2025, made changes to rules for canvassers and electors wishing to sign a petition. These changes are noted below.

New Citizen Initiative Petition Signature Requirements

For signatures to be valid, individuals signing the petition must:

• Be an eligible elector on the date they sign.
• Produce proof of their identity and status of an elector to a registered canvasser before signing the petition with either one piece of government-issued photo ID with their name and current residential address or two pieces of authorized ID with their name, one of which of which has their current residential address.
• Write the required name and address information legibly, confirm they are an eligible elector, and date it on the date they sign.
• Sign the petition only once and only during the 120-day petition signing period.
• Sign their signature. Only original physical signatures are valid. Digital or online signatures will not be accepted.

A registered canvasser must view each elector’s proof of identity, witness each signature collected, and sign each signature sheet confirming they witnessed each signature and viewed each elector’s proof of identity.

More information on the citizen initiative process, (including the proponent’s, canvassers’, and Elections Alberta’s responsibilities during the signature collection period), the status of citizen initiative petitions, financing rules, third party advertising rules, and answers to frequently asked questions may be found on Elections Alberta’s website.