@nigelb.bsky.social:
If you’re wondering about those MLAs who are signing the separatist petition here’s what they pledged
Surely at least a point of order when the Leg next meets.
Legislative Assembly Act
Section 23.
@evethorne.bsky.social:
And so they are traitors.
@ratliw.bsky.social:
And she personally changed the regulations governing lawyers so treason, rascism, fascism etc on their own time can’t be punished.
“Despite the 438,568 signatures collected in support of Alberta remaining in Canada, the opposing petition was able to proceed after Premier Danielle Smith relaxed the rules governing citizen petitions.” www-ledevoir-com.translate.goog/politique/ca…
@unraveledlissa.bsky.social:
How do we fight this blatant corruption? I’m so sick of governments who serve their own ideologies rather than serving the majority. Our systems were not constructed for psychopaths who will do anything to keep their power.
@leslie-m.bsky.social:
First Nations will tie her up in court. She can’t take what she doesn’t own
@lovewildernessbsky.bsky.social:
The leader of the separatist party making rules in favour of her cohorts.
summerton.bsky.social:
With no respect to traitor Smith, for dividing n destroying our beautiful province, she is a embarrassing disgrace, she is dangerous
Former deputy premier says Smith is ‘hellbent’ on separation referendum by Alberta Primetime, February 10, 2026, CTV News
Former deputy premier and lead proponent of the Forever Canadian petition Thomas Lukaszuk joins Alberta Primetime host Michael Higgins to discuss recent Alberta independence polling and a strategy pivot for the Forever Canadian campaign.
This interview has been edited for clarity and length.
Michael Higgins: The premier on Alberta Primetime last week said you had withdrawn your request to have your petition question go to a general referendum. What’s your reaction to what she had to say?
Thomas Lukaszuk: I don’t know what reality the premier lives in. It’s completely a lie. I have not withdrawn anything. There is no way to withdraw anything. Our petition with 556,000 signatures has been filed with Elections Alberta, has been certified and approved and is now in the premier’s hands in the legislature. Nothing has been amended, nothing has been withdrawn, nothing has been changed. I have no clue what the premier is talking about.
MH: Petition aside, you remain very active in this space. What are you prepared to pivot the Forever Canadian petition to?
TL: We have been actually working very hard with our group of volunteers and organizers over the last couple of months pivoting this campaign. Because it’s a totally different campaign to collect signatures compared to fighting a referendum. We are now ready, and we will be making some announcements within the next couple of weeks.
First of all, there are some very significant groups of Albertans joining Forever Canadian. So I’m very excited to announce that. We also will be launching somewhat of an educational campaign, sharing with Albertans the facts about separatism and what it would actually mean to an average Alberta family. We will also be further collecting lists of supporters to make sure on referendum day everybody comes out and votes.
MH: Why go through all this effort when the latest Angus Reid polls suggest a majority of Albertans oppose separation?
TL: They always have. There isn’t a poll that combined hardcore separatists with the softcore separatists that has ever exceeded 30 per cent. But as we know our premier is hellbent on having a referendum, because the statistics are different within her own party. It looks like the majority of UCP supporters and a large contingent of MLAs are pro-separatist, and they demand a referendum. The premier is somewhat beholden to them.
I am on the assumption, because I cannot not be on the assumption, that there will be a referendum. So it’s incumbent upon every Canadian to be ready for a referendum. Because on a balance of probability, looking at the premier’s disposition towards this issue, we will have a referendum in this province and we have to be prepared.
MH: So you’re fairly certain the pro-separatist group’s petition will be successful in meeting the lower threshold for signatures?
TL: It’s hard to predict, but I managed to collect nearly half a million signatures in 90 days without any help from the premier. This group with the assistance of the Alberta government has to collect half the number in four months, as opposed to three months. They’ve been preparing for it for two years. I had literally one day to prepare. I imagine they will collect the required number of signatures. If they don’t, I imagine the premier will find another reason to have a referendum on this issue, because this group who now is the majority of the UCP party demands a referendum one way or the other.
MH: As a former cabinet minister and deputy premier, what’s to be made of claims UCP MLAs have signed the petition?
TL: That is unfortunate. MLAs have the right to sign any petition out there. I can tell you I don’t know of any MLAs that signed the Forever Canadian petition because we weren’t soliciting their signatures. But for an MLA of any political party, or for a member of parliament of any political party to sign this petition, there is a problem. Because the only reason MLAs are MLAs and particularly cabinet ministers, is because they swore an oath of allegiance to the Crown.
When I was in the legislature I swore an oath of allegiance to Queen Elizabeth II,now it’s to King Charles. So the only reason they get paid by taxpayers, by the Crown, and they get to use the logo and stationary and sit in that chamber is because they actually swore on the Bible or some other holy book their allegiance to the crown.
To be collecting a paycheque as an MLA and at the same time working to break up Canada and Alberta to leave the Crown is problematic. I think MLAs should sit out and allow this process to take place and do what I’m asking the premier to do: have a vote in the legislature. If you want to rise in the legislature and say you think Alberta should separate from Canada all power to you, but to be working on behalf of separatists as an MLA I think one should resign the seat first.
MH: If we go back to the Angus Reid polling, they also asked about the handling of the separation debate.
You and Jason Kenney sit at plus three while Danielle Smith sits at minus 17. How political do you make the Forever Canadian campaign when you see numbers like that?
TL: This is a political issue. Nothing is more political than keeping our country united and together. But it is not a partisan issue. At least, I am making sure that Forever Canadian is not partisan. We have everyone from former Reformers to Liberals to New Democrats working on our campaign.
It’s no secret to any Albertan or any Canadian that Mr. Kenney and I have not seen eye to eye on many policy issues, and we fought like cats and dogs when both of us were ministers at the same time. But I welcome Mr. Kenney and I would proudly stand next to him and Prime Minister Harper and Prime Minister Chretien and former Liberal leader Dion on the same stage fighting for a united Canada and for preserving our integrity while we are actually challenged by foreign powers. This is a nonpartisan issue. This is a situation where whether we like each other or not, we set all that aside. We are all proud Canadians, and we are in the same trenches together.
MH: As political as it is, would you take it as far as creating party status?
TL: I don’t have any political aspirations. I’m doing this simply because I have a lot of gratitude for Canada. As you can tell, I wasn’t born here. Canada has created an amazing opportunity for my family and millions of other immigrants. I also understand how fragile the situation now is geopolitically, and how we cannot be divided internally. I hate the situation that Albertans are not talking to each other because this issue is so divisive. I also saw what happened in Quebec and how the economy in Quebec was devastated by flirting with separatism. I don’t want any of that to happen in Alberta.
I’m doing this because I’m just passionate. I love this country, but I’m not running for any office. But you’re right. A lot of people are questioning me, am I going to run as a leader for some political party, or maybe run federally? I always say never say never. But this is not a priority. We have to win this referendum. We have to win it with a high majority, so we put separatism to bed. Then if opportunity arises, and if it interests me at that point maybe, but it’s not in the cards right now.
Canadian Separatists Reveal Jaw-Dropping Details of Secret Meetings With Trump Teams, HUSH-HUSH, Leaders of the Alberta Prosperity Project say they have met with high-ranking Trump officials three times by Leigh Kimmins, Feb 12, 2026
Far-right Canadian separatists trying to break up the country have spilled wild details of meetings with senior Trump officials.
The Alberta Prosperity Project, seen by many Canadians as “attention-seekers,” says that during the clandestine summits, they discussed everything from switching to the U.S. dollar to something much more sinister, according to NBC News.
Dennis Modry, a co-founder of the group, told NBC News that border security, the Canadian pension plan, taxes, national debt, and the possible currency revamp were on the table. So was “the development of an independent military,” according to him.
Trump Team’s Secret Meetings With Separatist Group Exposed MAGA MEDDLING
“Alberta will also need its own military,” Modry said, adding, “And would the U.S. be willing to work with Alberta in the development of an Alberta military? That’s on the table for discussion.”
The group is a nonprofit organization and not a political party. Its goal is to shatter the union of modern Canada and become an independent sovereign nation because of what it sees as overtaxation and overregulation in Alberta, the conservative-leaning oil-rich province often described as the Texas of Canada.
The organization’s members are also rankled by concerns familiar to MAGA voters, namely immigration and a growing partnership between Canada and China.
Group leadership claims to have met with “very, very senior” officials in the Trump administration three times, with a fourth meeting slated in the coming weeks.
Modry said he attended the trifecta of meetings last year: one in April, one in September, and one in December. The separatists’ attorney, Jeffrey Rath, claimed the meetings were hosted at the State Department’s headquarters in Washington, D.C.
A senior State Department official said there will not be another meet-up. They also told NBC that no senior officials were present at the meetings, nor were any commitments made.
The Daily Beast previously reported that the APP was seeking a $500 billion credit facility to help prop up the province financially if a yet-to-be-called independence referendum passes.
Both Modry and Rath refused to name what officials were present, which they claimed was a pre-determined condition of the covert summits.
Modry also said the meetings were intended “to clarify that we were not advocating for Alberta to become the 51st state” of the U.S.
Early in his second term, President Trump famously had an obsession with making Canada the latest part of the union, and his administration has frequently butted heads with the Canadian government.
On Monday, the president posted to Truth Social moaning that Canada “has treated the United States very unfairly for decades.”
A former senior career U.S. diplomat described the secret meetings with separatists as “irresponsible as hell” and “highly unusual,” especially with a country so deeply intertwined with the U.S.
“It’s really irresponsible for the United States to be engaging with these kinds of people, because it just encourages behavior that cannot be in the U.S. national interest,” they told NBC News.
“The key issue here is how the current administration sees the use of radical conservative groups as part of its foreign policy strategy,” said Michael Williams, a politics professor at the University of Ottawa.
Canadian Prime Minister Mark Carney used a speech in Davos, Switzerland, last month to call out Trump for creating a “rupture” in the existing world order. He also told reporters at the end of January that he expects “the U.S. administration to respect Canadian sovereignty.”
Also at Davos, Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent appeared to try to stoke the flames of a rift in an interview with right-wing streaming channel Real America’s Voice. Handing the APP a boost, he said: “They have great resources. The Albertans are very independent people; rumor [is] that they may have a referendum on whether they want to stay in Canada or not.”
“Sounds like you may know something up there?” host Jack Posobiec responded.
“People are saying, people are talking,” Bessent said. “People want sovereignty. People want what the U.S. has got.”
Ipsos polling conducted last month, however, suggests that more Albertans are happy being part of Canada than not.
Canada Post:
Just want to mention that the vast majority of Albertans love Canada. It’s already been predicted that if Alberta left our confederation, many would exit to other provinces. That would leave the province with a big problem.
The Head Shaker:
Surveys came out showing 58% of women would leave Alberta when it separates. Just going to be Rod and Jim trying to make babies out of natural gas and loneliness
Too funny, but too true.
kayaian1:
Treating whatever lies the Trump regime offers as truth continues to be dangerous for both country’s freedoms.
idwhite55:
I live in Alberta and only 15% of Albertan’s are in favour of this separatist agenda. The APP is funded wholly by the fossil fuel lobby.
Our premier is on a recall petition because she is so unpopular and anti-Canadian. The premiers former job was as a lobbyist for O&G interests.
Canadian Beast:
The rest of us are rooting for you and your 85%!!!! If Modry and his followers want to go then…buh bye and don’t let the door hit you all on the way out. Interesting to see how your Premier fares next election!!
Canadian eh:
Alberta is part of Canada. Always was, always will be.
The End.
mfengleb:
I hope they come to their senses soon. It’s hard to believe ANYONE who can read or hear would welcome Trump to be a part of anything. Apparently they haven’t learned, he is a lying thief.
IraqVetWhoHates Trump:
At least when people in Quebec wanted to do this they wouldn’t have made themselves into a landlocked country. The last thing the US needs is another even worse version of Texas.
Affable:
Treason here on 1/6 and treason there now.
The new fascist international thinks they’re above the law.
If Canada lets them get away with it as America did, they’re going to end up the same.
Freedom is rapidly disappearing in America. Canada, don’t let it happen to you
Amberx1957:
I always believe that Canadients have a stauncher character and unassailable integrity.
inimaria:
Canadians are much less under the delusional ideologies of the half-educated MAGA bunch of evangelicals. They would not give up their dignity like the US Republicans.
Trump Negative:
This administration is ready to secretly meet with anyone, Russians or rogue Canadians, if they think they can get away with undermining democracy.
ETTD-release the other 3-million EPSTEIN FILES with the million mentions of dotard.
River61:
Hi from Canada. This is all bush-wah, means nothing. The real news? Canada and the US are now splitsville – Canadians are ready to face anything to give big distance. Crapping on our war dead was the last straw. So, bellow, berate and obfuscate – it’s a new day!
trevor99:
Amen. And if you’re an American reading this, don’t delude yourself into thinking that everything will be hunky-dory back to normal after Trump’s gone. It will take generations to earn our trust back, if ever.
mfengleb:
So many of us here in the U.S. wish WE could put him on an ice floe and wave good bye to all the cruelty, ignorance, lies, and on and on and on…
River61:
I feel terrible for the millions of Americans who did not vote and abhor this regime, bless you all. Was in Seattle for some music and came across ICE protest march – it moved me, everyday people freaked out and trying to do something. Love you much.
WIIDaughter7:
Should have joined BRICS and traded with China a long time ago. Can’t wait for those BYD cars. I live close to the border and I’ll fight Canadians just to get one. Should sell Huawei phones as well.
bradley.andrews:
That fits in perfectly with the agenda Putin assigned Trump in their private 2018 Helsinki meeting. We can’t know for certain since only Putin’s translator was present, but everything Trump has done since says, “divide & conquer NATO.”
heem:
“Ipsos research which “stress-tested” these sentiments by introducing real-world consequences reveals that actual committed support for separation is only 15 to 16% of Albertans maintaining their support” … in Trump’s lizard brain, everything is like a real estate transaction.
Canadian Beast:
Exactly! As I said below, they’re a small fringe group of whackjobs that the rest of Canada laughs at. Nonetheless they’re traitors in our books!
river61:
This is absolutely true, in my country they are a vile irritant, but to real Canadians, just a boorish joke. Quebec, is another matter. There is no desire to separate, however, Parti Quebecois, separatists, could very well take the next provincial election. https://thewalrus.ca/
Neely:
These separatists don’t fathom the fact they’re committing treason & sedition.
Furthermore, the First Nations own Alberta.
They’re not going anywhere.
Tiredoflies:
This is absolutely the overthrow of Canadian government being planned by US officials! This is exactly Trump‘s definition of sedition and traitorous planning.
tverdadan:
“And would the U.S. be willing to work with Alberta in the development of an Alberta military?
Trump loves militia military. If APP are looking for an ICE killing machine, Trump will gladly help APP out.
Tookish:
Trump has never made anything great in his life. Don’t fall for the scam.
DeludedInformer:
Dennis Modry is a traitor to Canada and should be tried and convicted of TreasonThey all need to be, in my view, Rath and Sylvestre included, but authorities punish those standing for rights, truth, health and community and reward those harming rights, truth, health and community.
Facelt1:
Hope these people are arrested and impoverished.
djrkirby:
These people think they’re taking the oil with them. Nevermind CPP and OAS. Their healthcare will be 1000 a month or more. Good luck you morons
trevor99:
Compare AB with Norway, similar population and area. Now look at taxes, standard of living, and how much money both have saved from oil revenue. Norway – about $2.5 trillion CAD; AB – about $4 billion CAD. Not to mention AB’s “boom and bust” cycle = EI from the Cdn taxpayer.
Blind Seeker:
Birds of a feather, e.g. seditionists, flock together.
The Hand shaker:
The separation donkeys in Alberta make MAGA look like geniuses in comparison. They are comically stupid. And the official they met with is definitely stupid Pete Hoekstra who should be banned from Canada. Can’t wait to see all these traitors go to jail
Swamp Girl Redux:
Agree 100%; especially Hoekstra, a dimwitted, abrasive, foul mouthed, belligerent, antagonistic brontosaurus of a lifeform (which may explain why Trump thought he’d make an ideal ambassador).
Bob:
Stand strong Canada.
Find better trading partners than the miserable country of the u.s.a.
mfenglebeb:
I say we negotiate w/Canada to annex us and give Trump to Alberta. They’re more than welcome to Pres Petty Poopy Drawers. THEY can have a real “Brexit” experience with a petty tyrant leading them thru it. The sooner the better.
NW in CKY:
Incel losers club – no girls allowed.Yup, many rural Albertans, notably in the bible belt, are deeply religious and dutifully hate women and girls.
Jeff56:
Alberta’s current premier wants to make it the Floriduh of Canada.
thomsonaa:
180k on a separation petition, about 1M voted for Smith, 5M in Alberta, 41M in Canada.
And the 180k are postmedia’s stars.
lukster:
There are a total of 5 MAGAs in Alberta! Don’t waste your breath, Alberta will not separate from Canada, the same way Quebec will not separate from Canada. We can openly discuss existential issues here without violence. That’s why Canada is amongst the best countries in the world
andrew.fraser1975:
We should deny re-entry to people engaged in this type of activity.
JD:
Bessent said. “People want sovereignty. People want what the U.S. has got.”
Massive debt.?
An Orange wannabe King?
Nope Canada is not interested in MAGA
True North Strong
josephmccray:
“People are saying” says Scotty. You’re a poser, says I. What a pitiful sycophant for HIM. To quote the great philosopher Foghorn Leghorn, “Call that boy a pistol. He’s always shooting off his mouth.”