700,000 Albertans signed petitions demanding a referendum on separation.
Claimed by: Stated by Alberta Premier Danielle Smith and her office
Updated: We revised this after CBC showed the 700,000 figure combines two petitions checked to different standards.
Needs context: Accurate as written, but a key piece of context changes how it reads. How we rate.
Summary
The 700,000 figure is real only as a headline total of two different petition drives with different goals and verification standards. CBC's fact check reported that more than 400,000 verified signatures were collected on the pro-Confederation Forever Canadian petition, whose organizer said he wanted that question put before MLAs, not a separatist referendum. Roughly 300,000 additional signatures on the pro-independence Stay Free Alberta petition were not verified to the same standard. Combining the two counts inflates a single, uniform demand for a separation referendum. The government's June 2026 response cited the figure when defending the fall ballot.
Evidence
Premier Smith's press secretary said 700,000 Albertans signed petitions asking for a referendum, while CBC reported the number combines more than 400,000 verified signatures on a pro-Confederation petition with about 300,000 unverified signatures on a pro-independence petition.
Elections Alberta verified more than 400,000 signatures on the Forever Canadian petition, which asked whether Alberta should remain in Canada; its organizer said his goal was a vote in the legislature, not to justify a separatist referendum.
Related claims
- Alberta is holding a binding referendum on separation in 2026.False
- The October 2026 referendum decides whether Alberta leaves Canada.False
- If 10% of Albertans sign a citizen initiative petition, the government must hold a binding referendum on that question.False
- Personal information for nearly three million Alberta voters was published online through a separatist database.True
- The Alberta government appealed the court ruling that quashed the Stay Free Alberta separation petition.True
- Elections Alberta began verifying signatures on the Stay Free Alberta independence petition in July 2026.True