Overflow crowd in North Battleford packs Saskatchewan Prosperity Project event
137 people crammed into a 105-seat room to talk independence — and the need for citizen-initiated referendums in Saskatchewan.
The room was only rated for just over 100 people. Last night, 137 showed up.
Chairs were pulled from storage. People lined the walls. Latecomers stood shoulder-to-shoulder near the doors. And for nearly three hours in North Battleford, Saskatchewan, residents debated a question that would have been unthinkable just a few years ago: Should Saskatchewan leave Canada alongside Alberta?
The Saskatchewan Prosperity Project meeting wasn’t a fringe gathering of cranks. It was farmers, tradesmen, retirees, small business owners, young families; people who feel the weight of federal policy in their tax bills, their energy bills, and their farm input costs.
Unlike Alberta, Saskatchewan does not have binding citizen-initiated referendum legislation. That means residents cannot force a province-wide vote on independence, no matter how many signatures they gather.
Speakers and attendees agreed: if Saskatchewan is serious about having a real conversation about its future, that must change.
The mood wasn’t angry. It was frustration paired with determination. People want a mechanism. They want a voice. They want the ability to decide.
And judging by the turnout in North Battleford, the appetite for that conversation is growing.
Sheila Gunn Reid
Chief Reporter
Sheila Gunn Reid is the Alberta Bureau Chief for Rebel News and host of the weekly The Gunn Show with Sheila Gunn Reid. She's a mother of three, conservative activist, and the author of best-selling books including Stop Notley.
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COMMENTS
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Bruce Atchison commented 2026-02-09 19:33:18 -0500This crowd, along with the Pierre Poilievre rally sizes, shows me that citizens want freedom. Saskatchewan needs to join Alberta as one big country where dreams come true. Ottawa is stuck in 1867.
