Alberta separatist group to appeal judge’s ruling against independence petition

As reported by LifeSiteNews, Stay Free Alberta said a few weeks ago that it had garnered enough signatures to trigger a referendum on the issue, as allowed by provincial law.

However, a few days later, former Prime Minister Justin Trudeau-appointed Court of King’s Bench Justice Shaina Leonard ruled that Alberta’s chief electoral officer, Gordon McClure, made a mistake in approving the group’s petition.

Leonard ruled that McClure did not take into account an earlier ruling that claimed Alberta leaving Canada would violate the local indigenous population and that the province did not consult with local First Nations.

However, the province was not behind the petition at all, and Alberta Prosperity Project (APP) legal counsel Jeffrey Rath posted on May 16 that the group is challenging Leonard’s ruling.

The appeal was filed with Alberta’s Court of Appeal, according to Mitch Sylvestre of Stay Free Alberta. It claims that Leonard’s decision nullifies Alberta’s citizen initiative process and petition process as well as citizens’ rights to have such petitions.

In total, there are 14 grounds for appeal, which include that McClure’s interpretation of the Citizen Initiative Act was “unreasonable.”

According to Stay Free Alberta, Leonard did not correctly distinguish between “democratic expression, political processes, and legally operative Crown conduct.”

Thus, the group claims the judge conducted proceedings “in a manner giving rise to concerns regarding procedural fairness and the appearance of impartiality.”

Alberta Premier Danielle Smith, who advocates for Alberta to stay in Canada but with as much autonomy as possible, blasted Leonard’s ruling as “incorrect in law and anti-democratic.”

“We want to hear from Albertans. That’s what we think democracy is,” she said.

Smith had promised before that any potential petition meeting all legal requirements would be held at the end of 2026.

Of note is that Smith’s United Conservative Party (UCP) government can put its own separation question on the ballot and bypass a judge’s ruling. However, the government has not yet committed to this.

Recent polls show that there is about 29 percent support for a free and independent Alberta. However, the true number could be higher, as the majority of UCP members support independence.

The APP bills itself as a sovereignty advocacy group.

The calls for Alberta’s independence have grown since Liberal Prime Minister Mark Carney defeated Conservative rival Pierre Poilievre, who also lost his seat in Parliament in the 2025 federal election. In Alberta, almost all of the seats except two went to conservatives.

Carney, like Trudeau, said he is opposed to new pipeline projects that would allow Alberta oil and gas to be unleashed. Also, his green agenda, like Trudeau’s, is at odds with Alberta’s main economic driver, its oil and gas industry.