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.”
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.