Alberta sovereignty delegation to US confirmed

The Commonwealth of Alberta Delegation to Washington has officially been formed, as the group commits itself to a “successful independence referendum” for an independent state.

The advocacy group, backed by the Alberta Prosperity Project (APP), which was founded in 2020 and has 55,000 volunteers and supporters, aims to establish a Commonwealth of Alberta by December 15th, 2025.

Calgary lawyer Jeffrey Rath earlier told the Western Standard of an initiative to send a delegation to Washington to gauge the Trump administration on its support of Alberta statehood or Alberta becoming the 51st state or a US territory.

The delegation held a press conference in Calgary Wednesday, where Rath said they have a “strong mandate” for the pursuit of Alberta sovereignty, with 37% of Albertans indicating their interest.

“This is far from a fool’s errand,” said Rath.

He referred to Premier Danielle Smith’s recently issued list of specific demands of the federal government, and said the delegation calls on Smith to “follow through on her promise to hold an independence referendum” if the incoming federal government fails to “agree to each and every one of her demands.”

At the forefront of these demands is the requirement to end transfer payments to other Canadian provinces, which Alberta far outweighs any other province.

Smith said Alberta “is no longer agreeable to subsidizing other large provinces who are fully capable of funding themselves.”

“Although our caucus supports a strong and sovereign Alberta within a united Canada, I recognize that many Albertans are disenfranchised after many years of Liberal- and NDP-backed governments in Ottawa repeatedly attacking our provincial economy and way of life,” wrote Smith in a statement, per Medicine Hat News.

“Alberta has a citizen-initiated referendum law that allows concerned citizens to put forward policies for referendums. If there is support for independence, that process is the proper avenue for citizens to bring it forward for all Albertans to have a say on.”

A policy issue must contain approximately 300,000 signatures to be put on a ballot. The signatures must represent at least 20% of voters in two thirds of Alberta’s 87 ridings.

The nine issues outlined by Smith followed a meeting with Prime Minister Mark Carney last week, and the delegation says the list “has all but guaranteed an independence referendum to be held in Alberta this calendar year."

“Following an independence referendum, there would have to be some form of constitutional convention in Alberta to decide on the form of the Constitution,” Rath told the Western Standard at the press conference.

On the APP website is a detailed breakdown of how governance could look like in the state of Alberta, drafted by lawyers including JCCF President John Carpay and James Kitchen, the lawyer who defended Ontario high schooler Josh Alexander.

He suggested the state of Alberta’s constitution would be modelled after a constitution like the US state of Texas has. Texas joined the US later and has a provision that they can vote themselves out of the United States again if they choose.

“Obviously, there'd have to be an indigenous rights component to an Alberta constitution, which would be stronger than the provision of the Canadian Constitution, etc., those types of things would have to be adapted to our unique circumstance.”

“But quite frankly, most of the people in this room are of the view that the Westminster model of governance no longer serves anyone in Canada, either nationally or provincially. We have no checks and balances. The only check and balance within the Westminster system of governance are the titles honourable and right honourable, which had meaning in the 19th century.”

“That is no longer the case — right honuorable or honourable no longer has the meaning that it had in the 19th century.”

Rath pointed out neither Liberal leader Mark Carney or Conservative leader Pierre Poilievre will agree to end the payments worth “tens of billions of Alberta tax dollars to Quebec,” a position that will guarantee an Alberta Independence Referendum in 2025 “regardless of the outcome of the federal election.”

The only federal leader who wants to "significantly reduce" equalization payments is PPC leader Maxime Bernier.

The Alberta Independence Delegation to Washington is currently in the process of confirming meetings with President Donald Trump’s team.

The delegation upon returning to Alberta from these meetings will hold a series of town halls to determine support for “Alberta self-determination.”

“Alberta is energy rich and capable from a fiscal perspective of being completely self-sufficient, free from Canada's gross over-regulation, punitive carbon taxation, capital gains tax, excise tax, goods and services tax, and income tax regimes,” said Rath.

“The Commonwealth of Alberta with significantly stronger economic ties to the United States of America and a constitution like that of Texas would have the highest GDP per capita of any country in the world.”

“Alberta Citizens would become the most prosperous in the world.”

The delegation lists 10 benefits that would come with Alberta sovereignty:

1. $69 billion in tax and pension dollars per year would remain in Alberta for the sole benefit of the citizens of Alberta.

2. Return of $339 billion in pension funds

3. No federal income tax

4. No carbon tax

5. No capital gains tax

6. No GST

7. No excise tax

8. Gas and diesel prices reduced by 50%

9. No more federal gun grabs

10. No more federal regulation of energy, speech, internet communication, agriculture, travel, health, resource development or any other matters of concern to Albertans

Rath says if Alberta achieves independence, residents’ take-home pay, disposable incomes and savings would increase up to 50%.

Delegation members include Rath, United Conservative Constituency President Mitch Sylvestre, APP CEO and University of Alberta Hospital Heart and Lung Transplant Program Dr. Dennis Modry, former Conservative MP and Alberta businessman Robert Anders, former Conservative MP and former Petrochemical Industry Human Resources Specialist LaVar Payne and Alberta business owner Scott Bowes.

Several other Alberta business owners and supporters of Alberta independence have expressed a desire to join the delegation, said Rath. Organizers are trying to keep the number of supporters going to Washington to under 10.

The delegation was advised by members of the Trump administration not to disclose who they are meeting with yet. The meetings are to be held within five or six weeks.