A strong advocate for Alberta independence, Rebel News reporter Syd Fizzard caught up with lawyer Keith Wilson at the Canada Strong and Free Network conference in Calgary.

We heard an update on the status of separation from Wilson and some of the legal happenings that have been taking place in the province regarding another petition, which calls for Alberta to remain in Canada.

Wilson, while not a member, said he was a big supporter of the Alberta Prosperity Project, a group which is advocating for Alberta to separate. “I try and help them where I can,” he said, praising the “amazing” work its done.

The Canada Strong and Free Network brings together conservative voices from across the country, a place where Wilson felt was important “to have a dialogue about what the drivers are for Alberta independence and for me to explain why I think it's a good idea and the legal mechanism, legal path we have for it to be achieved.”

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Conservatives from other parts of Canada need to have a “deeper understanding of the seriousness of the independence movement, and how it's something that could actually be achieved if the conditions are right,” he said.

Touching on the contrasting petitions regarding Alberta's future in Canada, Wilson said the 'Forever Canada' petition was launched under the province's previous citizen-led initiative policies, meaning it will need to reach a higher signature threshold.

The petition is also “a policy question, it's not a constitutional question,” meaning “it can't have any impact on the independence movement.” Instead, the effort is a “gimmick,” he said, compared to the Alberta Prosperity Project's petition, which raises constitutional questions surrounding independence. 

The Alberta Superior Court is now reviewing the constitutionality of the independence question brought forward by the Alberta Prosperity Project — with the justice even referring to the Forever Canada petition as a “nothingburger” — while “authenticating the legal validity of the question.”

Wilson expects this legal process will extend late into 2025, perhaps even early 2026, but he's “confident” the court will rule “it's a valid question.”

After that, the path is clear for campaigners to collect signatures, which will then oblige Premier Danielle Smith to hold a referendum on independence, with Wilson anticipating a vote will be held in fall 2026.

“We've got a long way to go,” he says.

“What's unique about Canada is that our Supreme Court of Canada has laid out a legal pathway for any province to go through a referendum process on a clear question, and if a clear majority of that province decides to leave the country and form their nation, their own country, they're allowed to do so.”