The motivations that have contributed to the separatist movement and Alberta’s sense of grievance in recent years are not especially discrete; it’s more like a nebulous Venn diagram. Simple politics have pushed some people toward separatism. Indeed, the paucity of separatist talk during the time when Stephen Harper was prime minister suggests there’s a significant political component to the idea; when Liberals are in power, people feel more inclined to talk about leaving. Culture also plays a role. When Angus Reid pollsters talked to separatists in February 2026, 86.5 percent said they thought Canada forced Alberta to take in too many immigrants, and 96 percent believed that an independent Alberta would better protect personal freedoms.
But … separatists tend to find the economic arguments particularly seductive. Angus Reid polling shows 96 percent of respondents who want an independent Alberta believe they would be free from economically damaging federal government policies. Separatist leaders promise the elimination of the personal income tax while creating a new provincial sales tax of 5 percent. They also claim Alberta would save $75 billion from no longer paying federal taxes.
Not all separatists promise immediate prosperity, but the argument remains persuasive. Cameron Davies is the leader of the Republican Party of Alberta. “I don’t paint an immediate rosy, utopian picture of what independence looks like,” he says. “Will it be difficult? Yes. Will it be immediate sunshine and rainbows? Probably not. But will it be worth it? Five, ten, fifteen years down the road for your kids and your grandkids? One hundred percent yes.”
What non Albertans need to understand is that “the separatists” in Alberta are two different groups. There are a significant number of Albertans who are upset with the way Alberta has been milked as a cash cow for decades without the corresponding political power like the populous provinces out east. Mostly they want to express their displeasure and if that means some sabre rattling and threats of separation thats fine. It works for Quebec and they just want to follow the same playbook. They would be the mild separatists who may or may not see the value in having Alberta be an independent state within Canada, but they are still a minority.
Then there are the radical separatists who believe that Alberta should separate and join the US. That is a VERY small group of people. If anything Albertans are fiercely independent, with an “I can do it myself” attitude and the last thing the vast majority wants is to jump out of a stable democracy into the shit show that exists down south.
So when you say ‘separatists’ you have to be clear who you are talking about. MOST of us want a more fair deal for Alberta but we’re not pro US and particularly not pro Trump.
Us Québécois are linguistically, culturally, and ethnically separate from the rest of Canada. Alberta is just culturally “pessimistic”, so it’ll never work for them to become independent. They’ll trip over their own dicks when it comes down to who will lead them amongst the conservatives. If the Middle East is any precedent, good luck pitting a jungle of conservative groups against each other for control. They can’t function without unity, which the Albertans lack on a fundamental level. They’re just going to remain the dicks who live out west and complain about social programs in QC and BC.
That’s probably fair when talking about the electorate broadly, but also leaves out the powerful special interests contributing to shaping and manipulating the movement, and which have much more direct and influential access to provincial government than your average Jane or Joe. Those interests, and the stakeholders to which they’re most responsive, need to be included as part of any discussion of how this movement is developing.
I have MAGA family in Alberta. They don’t want to join the USA but they’re pro pro-trump politicians.
I love em but they’re rather ignorant and because of the religion they don’t care about objective truth beyond their own confirmation bias.
So in that regard I don’t place a lot of value on the distinction between hardcore and mediocre separatists. IMO the difference comes down to incentives and who’s getting kick backs for saying shit.