Monte Solberg battles soft separatists to keep Alberta within Canada

Monte Solberg, a former Reform MP and Harper cabinet minister, is leading the Vote to Stay effort to convince Alberta’s “soft separatists” to reject a second-option referendum that would trigger a binding independence vote. He warns that using the ballot as a protest tool fuels separatist momentum and could lead to a decisive split from Canada. The separatist side, energized by years of perceived mistreatment under former Prime Minister Justin Trudeau, is countered by federalist initiatives such as Thomas Lukaszuk’s Forever Canadian and Anne McLellan’s Before You Vote, which find traction in Liberal and NDP strongholds.

Solberg’s team, which includes ex-premier Jason Kenney, aims to flip roughly 100,000 voters, emphasizing that staying united offers better economic and political stability, especially amid a U.S. trade dispute. He criticizes the draft independent-Alberta constitution released by the Alberta Prosperity Project as out of touch with ordinary Albertans. The campaign has raised about $100,000 and features endorsements from former premiers and business leaders, urging citizens to spend an hour voting for Canada.