Alberta wants separation after the Liberals win election: What's happening in Canada?

Thousands of Albertans have been holding rallies, signing petitions to vote for separation from Canada as the Liberals make their fourth consecutive win in the country that US president Donald Trump wants to convert into the 51st state of the US. Alberta has a long-standing complaint that Ottawa treated them unfairly despite reaping huge economic benefit from its oil and gas resources While the call for a separation from Canada is not new, it has got a push in the wake of the recent election result.

Divorce from abusive Ottawa

Alberta leader Cameron Davies resigned from the United Conservative Party of Alberta and took over as the head of the Republican Party of Alberta. "Today is the birthday of many new separatists in Alberta," Davies said as he took over. "It's time we take control, stand for freedom and stand strong for Conservative values and build an Alberta where our children can thrive," he said.

Will Alberta want to join the US as 51st state?

Cameron Davies did not dismiss the idea of joining the US as the 51st state but said that the first thing Alberta wants is a divorce from the abusive relationship with Ottawa. The rest can be addressed later. "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," he wrote on X specifically answering a question on joining the USA.

According to a poll by Angus Reid Institute, three in 10 Albertans would vote to leave Canada. The poll surveyed a random 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.

Alberta premier Danielle Smith does not support independence but wants more provincial autonomy. Smith's government proposed legislation that would lower the bar for holding a referendum.