Fact Check: Can Calgary vote to stay in Canada if Alberta votes to leave?
Former premier Jason Kenney made the argument that Calgary and Edmonton would vote to remain in Canada and refuse to participate in secession.
Former premier Jason Kenney says that if Canada is divisible, Alberta is too. He predicts Calgary and Edmonton would vote to remain in Canada and refuse to participate in Alberta’s secession.
But a Calgary city council vote cannot detach Calgary from Alberta.
A good reminder that if Canada is divisible, so too is Alberta.
— Jason Kenney 🇨🇦🇺🇦🇮🇱 (@jkenney) September 22, 2026
Super majorities in Calgary and Edmonton will vote to stay in Canada, and will refuse to participate in any effort by Alberta to secede.
Add to that 47 First Nations reserves, and other communities that would… https://t.co/pO6shN0zMp
Kenney made the argument after Calgary council voted 14–1 to affirm the city’s place in Alberta and Canada. Council is free to take that position; however, it has no power to decide which country Calgary belongs to. Provincial law governs municipal boundaries, and Alberta makes the final decisions on proposed changes.
The legal process for a province is different. The federal Clarity Act addresses a province-wide referendum and a clear expression of will by the population of that province.
It does not give individual cities a separate vote to remain in Canada. A favourable provincial vote would not, by itself, make Alberta independent either: lawful secession would require negotiations and a constitutional amendment.
Kenney may predict how Calgarians and Edmontonians would vote. That prediction is not a legal mechanism for carving either city out of Alberta.
Sheila Gunn Reid
Chief Reporter
Sheila Gunn Reid is the Editor-in-Chief, Alberta Bureau Chief, member of the board of directors, and host of The Gunn Show at Rebel News. Sheila also serves as President of the Independent Press Gallery of Canada. A mother of three and longtime conservative activist, Sheila is the author of bestselling books, including her most recent release, Independence Blueprint: What Alberta Can Learn From Quebec.
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COMMENTS
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Elizabeth Gordanier commented 2026-09-23 11:45:10 -0400 FlagKenney should keep his nose out of Alberta politics. He had his kick at the cat and screwed Alberta over.
