Alberta Prosperity Project CEO Mitch Sylvestre confirmed Tuesday morning that the citizen initiative petition for an Alberta independence referendum has surpassed the 177,732 signatures required under the province's Citizen Initiative Act clearing the legal threshold to trigger a provincial vote.
Signature collection isn't stopping. Sylvestre said the campaign will keep running until late April, with the goal of building a number too large to dispute. His words: "We need this too big to rig."
The catch: Elections Alberta hasn't confirmed a thing yet.
What the threshold actually means
The 177,732 figure represents 10 per cent of the total votes cast in Alberta's 2023 provincial general election. Under the Citizen Initiative Act, signatures must be collected on official paper sheets, by registered and badged canvassers, from eligible Alberta voters who showed government-issued ID.
Elections Alberta has up to 21 days after petition sheets are submitted to verify the count and publish results publicly. The collection window runs until May 2 meaning verification results could come as late as May 23.
Until Elections Alberta confirms the numbers, the threshold claim remains unverified.
The referendum question
If the petition clears verification, Albertans would be asked: "Do you agree that the Province of Alberta should cease to be a part of Canada to become an independent state?"
Premier Danielle Smith has said she will put the question on the ballot if the petition is verified, while stating she does not personally support separation. Her government is also working on legislation Bill 23 that would allow independent scrutineers to witness Elections Alberta's signature verification count, adding a layer of public oversight to the process.
An October 19 vote date has been floated by independence organizers, though no date has been set officially.
A bar that was deliberately lowered
The 177,732 figure is not the original threshold Alberta law required. Under the previous Citizen Initiative Act, triggering a referendum required signatures from 20 per cent of eligible voters — a number that would have put the independence petition's target closer to 350,000 signatures.
That changed in 2025 when Smith's government passed Bill 54, cutting the threshold to 10 per cent of votes cast in the previous provincial election and extending the signature collection period from 90 days to 120 days.
The legislation came after the competing Forever Canadian petition which asked Albertans if they wanted to remain in Canada gathered more than 456,000 signatures under the old, higher rules. That petition cleared its own threshold with room to spare.
Critics argued Bill 54 was designed to make it easier for the independence movement to succeed where it otherwise might have fallen short. The Smith government maintained the changes were about making citizen-led democracy more accessible to all Albertans.
What's still unresolved
A court challenge from Indigenous groups is scheduled to be heard April 7 and 8. First Nations leaders have raised concerns that a separation vote could affect existing treaty rights.
The competing "Forever Canadian" petition, organized by former Alberta politician Thomas Lukaszuk, gathered more than 456,000 signatures on a question asking whether Alberta should remain in Canada. That petition cleared its own threshold and was verified by Elections Alberta.
What happens next
If Elections Alberta verifies the independence petition, the province would be required to hold a referendum. What follows legally and constitutionally involves Canada's Clarity Act, which governs how a province could pursue secession and sets no defined majority threshold for a referendum result to be considered binding.
For now, organizers say they have the numbers. The province's chief electoral officer will have the final word.
Sources:
Elections Alberta Citizen Initiative: https://www.elections.ab.ca/new-citizen-initiative-petition-issued-2/
Juno News: https://www.junonews.com/p/breaking-alberta-independence-referendum
APTN News: https://www.aptnnews.ca/national-news/alberta-announces-date-of-referendum-proposed-questions-include-changes-to-canadas-constitution/
