The Alberta Legislature in Edmonton, on Thursday Oct. 31, 2024.THE CANADIAN PRESS/Jason Franson

By The Canadian Press

Alberta premier’s constitutional affairs lead supports separatist petition

Mar 27, 2026 | 11:32 AM

EDMONTON — Premier Danielle Smith’s parliamentary secretary for constitutional affairs is encouraging Albertans to sign a petition that calls for a vote on separation from Canada.

Jason Stephan, a United Conservative Party legislature member, penned his opinion for the online conservative media outlet “Western Standard.”

In it, Stephan argues signing the petition to have a referendum on separation is different from signing the referendum itself.

He says the petition is about holding Ottawa accountable for “stupid laws and policies” that “erode Albertans’ freedoms in favour of a nanny state.”

Smith and some of her cabinet ministers have maintained they support a sovereign Alberta within a united Canada but also believe in direct democracy.

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Stephan says despite the premier’s inroads with Ottawa, the federal government’s “hostile” treatment of Alberta won’t change.

He says despite Smith reaching an agreement with Prime Minister Mark Carney’s Liberals to roll back environmental measures in an effort to build a West Coast pipeline, Ottawa’s perennial “looting” of Alberta “will NEVER be rolled back.”

This report by The Canadian Press was first published March 27, 2026.

Lisa Johnson, The Canadian Press