"Smith may think she is managing pressure. Most Albertans likely think she’s watering and fertilizing the sprouts and setting the trellis up to help it grow." Smart analysis from @davidcoletto.bsky.social. open.substack.com/pub/davidcol...

In case there is any lingering doubt about foreign interference from the US in Canadian politics. Great story here by @rorywh.bsky.social from Canada’s National Observer www.nationalobserver.com/2026/05/20/i...

Danielle Smith keeps saying she will work to "keep Alberta in Canada" but she should really put her money where her mouth is and participate in a televised debate with the separatists.

Alberta, A Poem Two roads diverged in a yellow wood, And I asked "should we take route 1, or should the Government of Alberta commence the legal process required under the Canadian Constitution to hold a binding provincial referendum on whether or not we should take route 1 or route 2?"

Prime Minister Carney recounts the contributions of Albertans to Canada

I'm signing up for a lawn sign, volunteering for the June 14th day of action, and donating! It's incumbent on all of us Albertans who want to stay in Canada to be the leaders our communities need. Take action! foralbertaforcanada.ca?ref=d3QwEK1G #ableg #abpoli #cdnpoli #yyc 🇨🇦

Wondering what the odds are at this stage that the two leaders facing off in Alberta’s next provincial election will be Naheed Nenshi and Jeff Rath?

I'm just so pissed off and annoyed that I have to take time out of my life to go stand in line to check a box saying I don't want to have to check some future box about whether or not Alberta should be a part of Canada when polls show that 70% OF THE FUCKING PROVINCE DOESN'T WANT TO SEPARATE.

"Do not be fooled by her deathbed conversion last night, in which she said 'I'm fighting for Canada'- because let's be clear, she will not lift one finger to help the remain side in this ridiculous referendum" AB NDP leader Naheed Nenshi reacting to Premier Smith's address and referendum question.

Important questions.

David Parker has joined Jeffrey Rath in calling for Danielle Smith to be removed as UCP leader and Premier.

Danielle Smith is plunging us into a reckless referendum that puts our country at risk. It’s time to stand up & fight like hell - for Alberta and for Canada. foralbertaforcanada.ca #abpoli

We can have sovereignty from a future referendum if we vote the correct way.

Four. (But I did the word count after I filed. Sorry, y'all).

I love Alberta because just when you are despondent about how bizarre the politics is it gets more bizarre and you realize that the earlier time was the good old days.

.@ABDanielleSmith decided that 6 months of a divisive campaign and economic damage to Alberta isn’t long enough. She wants to hold a referendum on holding a referendum to break up Canada. #ForeverCanadian will fight for unity every step of the way. Join us in Edmonton! #ableg

I will always be Canadian first and Albertan second.

I'm so tired of Alberta being the political joke of Canada... And not the funny haha joke, but more the sad pathetic life draining and time wasting joke...

I think the Canadian federation will be unable to survive if we decide that federal-provincial politics will be conducted by governments walking around sticking shotguns in their mouths.

AHEM

UCP civil war incoming? Jeffrey Rath says Danielle Smith's referendum on having a referendum means she has lost her base.

A referendum on whether we should have a referendum lmao

What Albertans need to understand is that the UCP distanced itself from everything it has now undertaken while in government: Privatization of Healthcare, Provincial Police Force, withdrawing from the CPP. They lied. Plan and simple. #ableg #abpoli #cdnpoli

Thomas Lukaszuk: "[Danielle Smith] pre-recorded tonight's address where she's announcing this question. So today this committee was actually a case of reality trying to catch up to advertising because the premier already released the press release."

"Shame on you, shame on you. Traitors." -- From the gallery of Alberta's Select Special Citizen Initiative Proposal Review Committee as they vote on separation question

Stephen Colbert’s late-night show ends on Thursday. James Poniewozik, our chief TV critic, explains how Colbert’s performance has evolved over his two decades as a late-night host, and how TV changed with him. www.nytimes.com/2026/05/21/a...

And then they apparently ran out of time to pass the motion, because they are clowns

this is so much more powerful than a bunch of politicians opposing it. it puts real human faces on the gop ethos of “back the blue … oh and also pay off the thugs who brutalized the capitol police” (gift link: www.nytimes.com/live/2026/05...)

“.. What we are talking about is nothing short of the sitting president of the United States looting from the Treasury for his own gain,” she said. @financialtimes.com www.ft.com/content/5733...

Raskin: "The whole administration now just just corruption -- highway robbery every day"

The United States government just agreed to pay $1.8 billion to the United States president, approved by the president's own personal lawyer who represented him when he was convicted of 34 criminal counts. This is the biggest scandal in all of American political history.

I did a deep-dive into US ambassador Pete Hoekstra's links to the Alberta separatists' voter ID app Hoekstra repeatedly promoted the app at 2024 Trump rallies Hoekstra helped them organize presentations, is connected with the app's founder and the founder's wealthy step-father was a past donor 👇

This point by Max matters a lot: “…take a moment to appreciate the bravery shown…by Justice Leonard, who must have known that members of the separatist movement would have her home address thanks to the recent leak and dissemination of an electors list among separatist organizers.” #abpoli #ableg

Your birth month is your vaguely Victorian pseudoscience. Which one did you get?

In 2017, Criselda Vasquez painted this portrait of her parents and titled it "The New American Gothic." Last month, her father, the man in this portrait, was abducted by ICE after being in the US for 30+ years. The family is now struggling with bills. A GoFundMe has been started: gofund.me/456d8a193

You can doomscroll more tomorrow.

Entirely predictable. This was the endgame: give the appearance of collecting signatures. Whether or not you meet the threshold (legally) matters little if they'll never be counted. Then pressure the premier to call the vote. Will the premier call the big bluff?

An Alberta judge has just struck down a petition for an independence referendum in response to a legal challenge by First Nations. We may never find out how many signatures separatists really got, but their question will not go forward. Premier Smith has some decisions to make.

HUGE: Alberta judge quashes the separatists' referendum petition, in major victory for Athabasca Chipewyan First Nation and Blackfoot confederation. Justice Shaina Leonard: "the Crown failed to meet its duty to consult"

BREAKING: Alberta judge throws out citizen petition to put secession on a referendum ballot. www.theglobeandmail.com/canada/artic... By @mattscace.bsky.social

BREAKING: Athabasca Chipewyan FN & Blood Tribe say they've won their court challenge of the Alberta separation referendum. The Chief Electoral Officer’s decision to issue a citizen initiative petition on independence has been quashed.

The separatist connected to the biggest data breach in Alberta history is refusing to cooperate w/ investigators. Dr. @melomas.bsky.social, Prof. Lori Williams & @drjaredwesley.substack.com.web.brid.gy say everyday Albertans need to fight back. Will you? 👀: rtrj.info/051226RTRT 🎧: rtrj.info/051226

Alberta separatism is a white/Christian nationalist project.

“Do unto pipelines as you would have done unto you” - Jesus

What happens if seperatists refuse to fill out the federal census? Call it cutting off your nose to spite your face. Chatted with Stats Can - Alberta might lose out on federal $$$ and additional representation if final count is lower than reality due to protest. podcasts.apple.com/ca/podcast/w...

Love this.

Never forget, the “Alberta Separatist Movement” is a relatively small number of unhinged conspiracy nuts being fed a steady diet of Russian and US-made disinformation, normalized by media mostly following the wrong story, and boosted by political opportunists who think (wrongly) they can control it.

We're going to keep on this story. If you have tips about the voter data scandal, the Centurion project or the connections between the UCP and the separatists, you can email @rorywh.bsky.social: Rory (at) national observer