Donald Trump is not the only person who wants to change Canada’s landscape. Some Albertans frustrated with almost decade of Liberal power want independence from the country, and Cameron Davies, a leader of the breakaway movement, told Newsweek why.
The province, along with several others in the west, has long seen itself as unfairly treated by Ottawa. Its oil and gas resources make it a huge economic contributor, but many feel underrepresented in the capital, especially over environmental policies which regulate its resource industry.
But the push for an independence referendum has seemingly stepped up in the wake of the Liberal Party’s victory of the Conservatives on Monday night, making former Bank of England boss Mark Carney prime minister.
This is perhaps best illustrated in Cameron Davies’ decision to quit as leader of the United Conservative Party (UCP) of Alberta, which he has served for more than seven years, to take over as the head of the independence-supporting Republican Party of Alberta.
“Today is the birthday of many new separatists in Alberta,” Davies said in his announcement after the election results.
“Albertans keep working harder while getting less in return,” Davies told Newsweek. “I watched the UCP fold time and again under Ottawa’s pressure instead of standing up for Alberta’s interests.”
“It became clear to me that we need a new path forward—one that puts Albertans first, always,” he added.
The Alberta Republicans are the leading movement to hold a binding independence referendum. We have to divorce from the abusive relationship with Ottawa before we entertain anything else.
— Cameron Davies (@Realcamdavies) April 29, 2025
Who Wants Albertan Independence and Why?
Around three in 10 Albertans would vote to leave the federation, given this week’s Liberal victory, according to an early April poll carried out by the Angus Reid Institute.
It surveyed a randomized sample of 2,400 Canadian adults and questioned another 2,131 people between March 28 and 31, both weighted to be representative of adults nationwide, between March 20 and March 24. Researchers disclaim a two-percentage point margin of error.
Davies, described by the Alberta Republicans as “a proud Albertan, veteran, and former oil patch worker” who “represents the hardworking spirit of the province,” is one of multiple politicians backing the call for a referendum.
“This isn’t about anger, it’s about forging our own path and seeking our own future. Alberta contributes more than we get back, year after year,” he said. “We’re rich in resources, rich in talent, and rich in potential, yet we’re held back by a system that doesn’t serve us.”
“I’m backing the idea of an independent Alberta because I believe we deserve full control over our future—our policies, our borders, our prosperity,” he added. “This conversation isn’t radical. It’s responsible.”
The Alberta Prosperity Project is a grassroots organization also pushing for independence, which wrote after Carney’s win: “The country has somehow chosen several more years of a decade-long Trudeau Travesty … on steroids.”
“His plan includes continuing to limit three of Alberta’s most prosperous sectors: energy, agriculture and, by extension, innovation,” it continued.
Alberta Premier Danielle Smith has advocated for more provincial autonomy but she has not expressed support for independence. “I believe in Alberta sovereignty within a united Canada,” she said.
Will There Be an Alberta Independence Referendum?
When Newsweek asked Smith’s office this question directly, it was referred to Smith’s comments about Bill 54, legislation she filed the day after Carney’s victory, which would essentially make it easier for the province to hold a binding referendum.
“The legislation applies to all questions, we want to make fairness across the board,” she told a news conference on Thursday. “I’m not going to prejudge what the citizens are going to put forward for a question.”
“Remember, the purpose of a referendum is to let every single Albertan have a say on matters of important public policy,” she added.
Bill 54 has breathed new life into this question, proposing halving the threshold for a citizen-led referendum to 10 percent of people who voted in the last election and extends the duration of collecting those signatures to 120 days from 90.
Smith argues that while the threshold “needs to be high, it also needs to be achievable.”
She cited California as an example of a place that has “the most successful opportunity for citizens to engage in the process,” where measures on rent control and legalization of marijuana require between five and eight percent of the vote to qualify as ballot questions.
Does Leaving Canada Mean Joining the U.S?
Trump has repeatedly said he wants Canada to become America’s 51st state, something that, alongside his tariff war, tipped the election in the Liberals’ favor, according to him.
Before the Canadian election, Trump told The Atlantic he was “disliked enough by Canadians” to sway the results.
Indeed, the election was initially expected to tilt in favor of the Conservative Party after Justin Trudeau, left office earlier this year with low favorability ratings.
While some proponents for Albertan independence want to separate from Canada without joining the U.S., others are open to it.
Coleader of the Alberta Prosperity Project Dennis Modry told the BBC: “We’re not interested in that. We’re interested in Alberta sovereignty.”
But Jeffrey Rath, another one of the project’s co-founders, said: “We have a lot more culturally in common with our neighbors to the south in Montana … and with our cousins in Texas, than we do anywhere else.”
Davies is less clear on this. “The Alberta Republicans are the leading movement to hold a binding independence referendum,” he said, “We have to divorce from the abusive relationship with Ottawa before we entertain anything else.”
“My views on Alberta’s future were shaped here at home, not south of the border,” he told Newsweek when asked about his position. “Long before any U.S. leader made headlines, folks here were already questioning whether Canada’s structure works for Alberta.”
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