Alberta Referendum Act Will Take Place on Oct. 19 to Decide Whether Province Quits Canada A binding referendum on selling the Alberta to become an independent state will be held on Oct. 19, after a controversial process that saw the province's premier called a separatist in 2021 and landmark legislation that stymied the Albertan separatist movement. Alberta's separatists will be deciding whether to leave Canada by the binding vote, which would force the act on the referendum question. Premier Danielle Smith announced Thursday that Albertans will be going to the polls on Oct. 19 to vote on whether there should be a future binding referendum on the province quitting Canada. [This event] comes after a timeline of pivotal moments in Alberta's separatism debate, starting with the federal government's ignition of widespread alienation in the province with the National Energy Program in 1980. [The UCP under Premier Danielle Smith proposed, and later passed, the Alberta Sovereignty Within a United Canada Act to push back against federal 'overreach'] and assert control over provincial resources and certain areas of jurisdiction.[The UCP constituency association president and leader of the separatist Alberta Prosperity Project] submitted notice of intent to pursue a referendum question asking whether Alberta 'should cease to be a part of Canada to become an independent state.' The Alberta Court of King's Bench Justice Shaina Leonard quashed the separatist petition on May 13, 2026, ruling that First Nations weren't properly consulted. Premier Smith promises to appeal this decision