Thousands rally for Alberta independence at Legislature

Thousands Rally for Alberta Sovereignty at “I Am Alberta” Event in Edmonton

EDMONTON: The Alberta legislature turned into a sea of blue on Saturday as thousands of Albertans gathered for the “I Am Alberta” rally, voicing strong support for Alberta sovereignty and independence from the federal government.

Initial estimates placed attendance at around 5,000, though organizers believe the crowd surpassed 10,000 based on drone footage. Jeffrey Rath, General Counsel for the Alberta Prosperity Project (APP), confirmed the turnout and praised the Alberta sheriffs for maintaining order, noting that only a handful of counter-protesters attended.

Rath declared that Premier Danielle Smith’s six months of efforts to work with the federal Liberals had failed, urging Albertans to “get on board the freedom train.” Many attendees traveled long distances from across the province, some on APP-organized buses and others independently.

One participant, Myrna, told reporters that she viewed Thomas Lukaszuk’s Pro-Canada petition as misleading, calling it the “Forever Screwed petition.” Rath added that Lukaszuk was reportedly 50,000 signatures short of his goal ahead of a Tuesday deadline, while APP has already received over 300,000 pledges supporting an Alberta independence referendum.

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The rally featured speeches from Whistle Stop Café owner Chris Scott, APP CEO Mitch Sylvestre, and constitutional lawyers Jeffrey Rath and Keith Wilson, with John Bolton serving as emcee.

Throughout the event, speakers emphasized freedom, sovereignty, and democracy, drawing enthusiastic cheers whenever the crowd heard calls for independence and loud boos at mentions of Ottawa’s policies.

Keith Wilson warned that conditions in Canada could deteriorate further under a federal government advancing Bill C-9, which he said would restrict free speech. “We just want to get Ottawa’s knee off our neck,” Wilson said, vowing a province-wide referendum by 2026. He urged attendees to discuss Alberta sovereignty with others, arguing that the uncertainty of independence was less daunting than the certainty of federal overreach.

Chris Scott declared that the referendum would be the most significant political act of Albertans’ lives, while Sylvestre rallied the crowd with the slogan “C’mon, let’s go!”, inspired by hockey’s “elbows up” culture.

Rath suggested that October 25 could be remembered as Alberta Independence Day, adding that under Prime Minister Mark Carney, Canada had become “one of the most corrupt countries globally,” citing World Economic Forum ties within the Liberal Party.

He criticized Ontario Premier Doug Ford for misunderstanding Canada’s oil routes and former environment minister Steven Guilbeault for lacking knowledge of the country’s pipeline infrastructure. Rath also claimed that during recent visits to the United States, his team received support from members of the Trump administration for Alberta independence.

He further asserted that 70 to 75 percent of the UCP board already supports independence and called on Albertans to increase that number to 100 percent at the upcoming party AGM.

“Today was a massive day for the Alberta freedom movement,” Rath said. “The biggest independence rally in Alberta’s history was held on the steps of the legislature today. Hopefully, it sent a strong message to both Danielle Smith and Mark Carney that we’re out. We’re done.”