The government of the Canadian province of Alberta will include in the autumn referendum a question on whether the region should remain within the federation or initiate a mandatory voting procedure on secession. This was announced by the province’s Premier Danielle Smith in an official address on May 21.
The vote is scheduled for October 19, 2026. Smith emphasized that she supports Alberta remaining within Canada and intends to vote accordingly. According to her, the purpose of the referendum is to understand which direction the province’s citizens wish to go, rather than to force a break with the federal government. The referendum is non-binding and will not result in automatic separation.
The decision to hold the vote unfolds against the backdrop of a scandal involving the American side. In January 2026, the Financial Times reported that representatives of President Donald Trump’s administration had held several closed-door meetings with leaders of the separatist movement Alberta Prosperity Project, which advocates for the province’s independence. Sources cited by the newspaper described Washington’s position as one of extreme enthusiasm for the emergence of a “free and independent Alberta.”
This is not the first time the issue of Canadian territorial separation has taken on an American dimension. Trump repeatedly, in January and March 2025, proposed that Canada become the 51st state of the United States. Ottawa has consistently rejected such proposals: Prime Minister Mark Carney stated that Canada would not allow any form of absorption by its southern neighbor.
Alberta, an oil-rich province in the west of the country, has traditionally been a stronghold of conservative and provincialist sentiment. Separatist ideas periodically emerge there as a reaction to federal energy and tax policy. Until now, however, no provincial government had ever put the question of secession to a direct vote. The October 19 referendum will be the first of its kind in the province’s modern history.
