In a powerful display of political sentiment, hundreds of Albertans braved the cold on Wednesday, January 14, 2026, forming a line that snaked around Red Deer's Festival Hall well before the doors opened. The event, organized by the Alberta Prosperity Project (APP), aimed to gather signatures for a petition that could force a historic referendum on Alberta's independence from Canada this autumn.
A Surge of Support for Sovereignty
The crowd's size overwhelmed the venue's parking lot, spilling over to fill a nearby high school lot. Attendees waited patiently to add their names to the petition, with the line remaining steady even after the evening's speakers had begun. Organizers set an ambitious goal for the night: to surpass the 1,500 signatures collected at a prior event in Millet.
Dennis Modry, the former CEO of the APP, addressed the packed hall. He stated that while the legal threshold to trigger a referendum is approximately 177,000 verified signatures by early May, the movement's true target is far higher. "We want to make a statement," Modry declared, emphasizing the aim to collect over one million signatures to pressure the federal government into negotiations.
Provocative Claims and Rhetoric
The town hall featured strong rhetoric from prominent figures within the separatist movement. Kathy Flett, a leading voice for the APP, opened her speech by quoting late politician Frank Oliver. She framed Alberta's entry into Confederation as a colonization by Ottawa, stating "Everything is wrong with Canada." Her speech touched on contentious national issues, from Supreme Court decisions to campus politics, asserting these were not Albertan values.
Flett was explicit about the broader goal: "We'll pave the way for other provinces to follow our lead," she told the applauding crowd, suggesting Alberta's separation could begin the dissolution of the country. The event also featured a merchandise booth selling shirts with slogans like "independence isn't radical, it's necessary."
Alleged Alliances and External Backing
In a significant revelation aimed at bolstering the movement's credibility, Dennis Modry announced a strategic political alliance. He told supporters that the Alberta Prosperity Project has formed an alliance with Quebec's sovereignist party, the Parti Québécois.
Furthermore, Modry made a striking claim regarding international recognition, asserting that the U.S. State Department is supportive of Alberta's potential path to statehood. These claims position the Alberta separatist movement as having both domestic political partnerships and tacit foreign approval, though they were not independently verified at the event.
Modry concluded with a warning, indicating that any future negotiations with Ottawa must not descend into a "rabbit hole of endless negotiations." The sustained turnout in Red Deer signals a continued groundswell for the separatist cause as the petition drive gains momentum across the province.
