'Depends on how long she plans to be premier': separatists push back on Smith's referendum pledge

How some separatists are responding to Smith’s pledge against 2nd referendum if remain vote wins

Smith made the comment during interview with CBC News

Premier Danielle Smith’s pledge that she won’t hold another referendum on separation if the remain vote wins this month — at least as long as she is premier — is getting pushback from some prominent Alberta separatists.

“Well, I guess it depends on how long she plans to be premier,” said Cory Morgan, who heads the third-party advertiser Pathway to Independence.

“I'm not saying that as a threat sort of thing, you know, they’d kick her out if she didn't support it,” Morgan told CBC News Saturday.

“I'm just saying, you're quite a crystal ball if you would say that it would never be in the cards. I mean, what if she were premier six years still from now, and the winds had changed?”

Smith made the comment during a one-on-one interview with CBC News’ chief correspondent Adrienne Arsenault Friday.

Smith rules out 2nd Alberta referendum: 'Not as long as I'm premier'

On Oct. 19, Albertans will choose either Option 1, to remain in Canada, or Option 2, to begin the process to hold a second, binding referendum on separation.

Morgan said he sees Smith's statement as the premier “trying to make what appears to be a stronger stance during the tail end of this campaign.”

“To set it out saying that there would never be one as long as she's premier, well that means that she doesn't respect the principles of direct democracy she said she does,” Morgan said.

“If there were another referendum within a few years and Albertans said they wanted it, I believe that's her obligation to allow that to happen.”

Cory Morgan speaks to supporters during an Alberta independence rally in Taber, Alta., on Sunday, June 28, 2026. (Matthew Bruce/The Canadian Press)

Morgan says if Option 2 is unsuccessful, he understands another referendum is unlikely for at least a couple of years. But the movement is not going to go away, he said.

Alberta Prosperity Project CEO Mitch Sylvestre has agreed on that point.

He told CBC News Saturday that he does not think Smith’s stance on a second referendum “could go very well for her,” given the number of people in her party in favour of Alberta independence.

A recent Janet Brown Opinion Research Poll for CBC News suggested 53 per cent of respondents who would vote for the United Conservative Party would also vote in favour of the separation option in the upcoming referendum.

Party members could have a chance to voice their opinions on the matter next month, when the UCP holds its annual general meeting.

The Alberta question: How separatists took hold of the province’s governing party

With just over a week of campaigning left until the referendum, Sylvestre described himself as “cautiously optimistic” about his side’s chances.

“A lot of people I talk to are basically closet separatists. And hopefully they’re gonna come out and vote, and if that's the case, then there's a chance that we can win.” he said.

Morgan says he’s seeing more people “flirt with” the idea of voting Option 2, but says those in favour of independence still have their work cut out to win a majority vote.

Advance polling runs from Oct. 13 to 17, with polling stations on referendum day Oct. 19 open from 9 a.m. to 8 p.m.

Jennifer is a reporter with CBC Calgary. Previously, she worked for CTV News in Toronto. You can reach her at jennifer.keiller@cbc.ca

With files from CBC's Adrienne Arsenault and Joel Dryden