With 60 days left until Alberta’s referendum, stay and leave sides plot their course
With 60 days remaining before Alberta's referendum on separation from Canada, political groups are shifting their focus from persuasion to voter mobilization. Polls indicate that support for remaining in Canada remains significantly higher than for independence.
Why it matters
The referendum represents a significant constitutional and political challenge to Canadian national unity.
Nine focus on immigration and constitutional reform. But it’s the 10th question — whether Albertans want the province to remain in Canada or hold a second, binding referendum on separation — that is increasingly poised to animate town halls and rallies scheduled in the coming days.
And with the clock ticking, both sides have limited opportunities to win over hearts and minds.
Keith Wilson, left, one of the co-leaders of the third-party advertiser Let Alberta Decide, and Thomas Lukaszuk, right, leader of Forever Canadian, are among leaders organizing their next moves. (Nathan Gross/CBC) Longtime pollster Janet Brown has been watching the numbers for years. Those numbers have shown, consistently, that support for separatism trails well behind those who back staying in Canada.
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