Redcliff, Canada - Alberta's separatists are bracing themselves for a referendum – which is unlikely to pass – which will see residents vote on independent from Canada.
In a motor home decorated with murals of the Rockies, Chris Scott has traveled across western Canada this year to pitch a previously fringe idea which is set to be tested by voters – independence for Alberta.
The former oil worker – who earned notoriety in 2021 after his arrest for protesting Covid lockdowns – has hosted more than 115 town halls across Alberta ahead of a nonbinding October 19 referendum on separation.
During a long day on the road through southern Alberta's prairies, Scott, 47, told AFP that generations of his family had discussed what they view as the federal government's mistreatment of western Canada, dictated by easterners in Ontario and Quebec.
But, he added: "I started thinking more closely about [independence] when I was sitting in jail for the crime of holding a protest on my own property over Covid."
That forced him "to take a look at what Canada actually is, what our rights actually are, and who can take them away from us," he said.
Alberta is Canada's fourth largest province and about the size of France. Polls suggest only about a quarter of Alberta's roughly five million people want to leave Canada.
The group includes people who oppose environmental regulation of Alberta's oil industry, voice concerns about immigration, or accuse Ottawa of restricting free speech.
Prime Minister Mark Carney's pursuit of closer ties with Europe is another often-mentioned concern. For many, Covid lockdowns were a tipping point. But Scott argued those issues were symptoms of a larger problem in Canadian governance.
"It's called self-determination," he told the partly-filled community hall. "That's where freedom starts."