A group of separatists in the Canadian province of Alberta has announced that it has reached the required number of signatures for a petition calling for a referendum on independence.
According to CBC, the civic organization “Stay Free, Alberta” has collected approximately 178,000 signatures. There is still one month left before the petition must be submitted to the election commission for verification.
The separatists hope to collect even more signatures to have a buffer in case some of them are rejected. They announced the interim results to boost the morale of their volunteers, who sometimes face insults online and in real life.
Provincial Premier Danielle Smith has expressed her willingness to launch the referendum process if the signatures are verified. She herself supports “a sovereign Alberta within Canada.”
There have been two referendums on secession in Canada’s recent history, both in the French-speaking province of Quebec. The votes took place in 1980 and 1995 and ended in victory for those who wanted to remain part of Canada.