For Danielle Smith and Alberta separatists, no clear path left for referendum after court loss - May 14, 2026

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This makes Smith calling a referendum herself a legally perilous option, on top of the risk of more directly putting her political stamp on separatism, while two-thirds of Albertans oppose leaving Canada, many of them strongly.

But in addition to the duty to consult, Smith must reckon with another type of obligation — a political one. It may be that only 27 per cent of Albertans tell pollsters they back secession, but it’s a majority position among UCP supporters, according to last month’s Janet Brown Opinion Research poll.

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