From LifeSiteNews

By Anthony Murdoch

Thousands of Albertans marched upon the province’s capital of Edmonton this past Saturday in the “I Am Alberta Rally,” calling for the province to immediately secede from Canada in light of increasing frustration with the Liberal federal government.

The rally saw an estimated 20,000 to 30,000 people march on the steps of the Alberta legislative building, demanding that a referendum be held at once to allow Alberta to leave Canada.

“We can’t delay. We can’t slow down,” well-known freedom lawyer Keith Wilson said at the rally as he spoke to the crowd.

“This is our moment. This is our future. For our families, for our children, for Alberta. Alberta will be free.”

The group behind the rally, the Alberta Prosperity Project (APP), bills itself as a sovereignty advocacy group. As reported by LifeSiteNews earlier this year, the APP wants to put Alberta independence to a question to the people via a referendum.

The rally also comes after certain members affiliated with the APP such as Jeffrey Rath and Dr. Dennis Modry earlier the month met in Washington, D.C. with cabinet-level U.S. politicians to discuss Alberta’s potential independence from Canada.

U.S. President Donald Trump has routinely suggested that Canada become an American state in recent months, often making such statements while talking about or implementing trade tariffs on Canadian goods.

The APP on July 4 applied for a citizen-led petition presented to Elections Alberta that asks, “Do you agree that the Province of Alberta shall become a sovereign country and cease to be a province in Canada?”

The group is hoping to have the referendum on the ballot as early as next year and has accused the Liberal federal government of encroaching on Alberta’s ability to manage its own affairs.”

The group says an independent Alberta would allow it to “keep our resources, grow our economy, and reinvest in Alberta families, businesses and infrastructure.”

As it stands now, the referendum question has been referred to the courts to see whether or not it can proceed.

Alberta Conservative Premier Danielle Smith does not support a fully independent Alberta. However, she does advocate for the province to have more autonomy from Ottawa.

As reported by LifeSiteNews, Smith said her conservative government will allow but not support a citizen-led referendum on independence.

Despite not advocating for an outright separate Alberta, Smith’s government has not stood still when it comes to increasing provincial autonomy.

Smith’s United Conservative government earlier this year passed Bill 54, which sets the groundwork for possible independence referendums by making such votes easier to trigger. The bill lowers the signature threshold from 600,000 to 177,000.

As reported by LifeSiteNews last week, Smith’s government introduced a new law to protect “constitutional rights” that would allow it to essentially ignore International Agreements, including those by the World Health Organization (WHO), signed by the federal Liberal government.

The calls for independence have grown since Liberal leader Mark Carney defeated Conservative rival Pierre Poilievre.

Carney, like former Prime Minister Justin Trudeau before him, said he is opposed to new pipeline projects that would allow Alberta oil and gas to be unleashed. Also, his green agenda, like Trudeau’s, is at odds with Alberta’s main economic driver, its oil and gas industry.

Taking action on classroom complexity

As schools reopen, Alberta’s government is taking action by appointing a class size and complexity task force to meet the challenge of increasingly complex classrooms.

Across Alberta, teachers are seeing more students with diverse learning needs and behavioural challenges, while incidents of classroom aggression are rising. To address these challenges head on, and in response to concerns raised by teachers, Alberta’s government will be appointing a Class Size and Complexity Task Force.

We recently formed the Aggression and Complexity in Schools Action Team to identify practical classroom focused solutions. Alberta’s government has received the action team’s draft final report and will use its recommendations to create a roadmap for safer classrooms. Alberta’s government will release the final report, and the task force will implement solutions, work with school boards to gather more data on classroom complexity and begin work to replace the 2004 Standards for Special Education.

“Teachers have made it clear that addressing classroom complexity and safety are among the most critical improvements needed in our education system. We are taking real action to meet those needs by strengthening classroom supports, hiring more teachers and educational assistants, and acting on the recommendations of the Aggression and Complexity in Schools Action Team. Parents, teachers and students all want the same thing – safe and supportive classrooms where every child can succeed.”

Teachers are vital to the success of Alberta’s education system. Over the next three years, school boards will be provided with funding to hire 3,000 teachers and 1,500 new education assistants to support students with complex needs. These funds may also be allocated to additional student support through assessments for complex needs, occupational therapy, physiotherapy or speech-language pathology, and other in-the-classroom supports.

“No teacher should ever be harmed while doing their job. We know that aggressive incidents have gone up sharply in recent years, and classrooms are becoming more complex. That’s why we’re doubling down on efforts to make classrooms safer and to give extra support to students who need it. Our goal is to create learning environments where every student can succeed.”

In November, Alberta’s government will work with school boards to gather information and data about class sizes and composition to ensure students are receiving the support they need. Information will be made available as soon as it is available and will be released annually thereafter.

Quick facts

• Between July and September 2025, the action team conducted engagement sessions with teachers, education partners and school boards through in-person and virtual sessions.
  • This included front-line educators, families, disability organizations, community agencies, early learning experts and social service professionals.
• Budget 2025 included $55 million to help address classroom complexity – a 20 per cent increase from the previous year.

Getting Alberta’s kids back to school