Further Background Information

The following Appendices provide further background information relative to the Alberta and the West video-conference and its deliberations:

Appendix A listing the names of members of the Organizing Committee and its communications subcommittee.
Appendix B listing the major sources of western dissatisfactions and discontents prompting the October 19th referendum and the Alberta and the West video-conference.
Appendix C listing the Main Options to be presented and considered by the delegates to the video-conference.
Appendix D listing the 10 questions on Alberta’s October 19 Referendum ballot.
Appendix E listing some additional factors to be considered by the delegates to the video-conference and its follow up session.
Appendix F provides information on how to contribute to the financing of the Alberta and the West project.
Appendix G includes clarifications and disclaimers relative to the project

APPENDIX A

Organizing Committees

An ad hoc Organizing Committee was formed to organize and provide guidance to the Alberta and the West Project. It currently consists of:

Jack Major, former justice of the Supreme Court of Canada
Dallas Howe, former Chair of the Potash Corporation of Saskatchewan
Preston Manning, former Leader of the Opposition in the federal parliament
Bryan Gould, Executive Chair and founder of Aspenleaf Energy
Glenn Solomon, Calgary lawyer who has volunteered to assist
Don Plett, former Senator from Manitoba
Lucas Robertson of the Wellington Advocacy Group to assist in identifying suitable representative delegates
Troy Lanigan, President of Manning Foundation for Democratic Education

A Communications Sub-Committee was also formed to conduct the communications and promotional activities required to organize the Assembly and ensure a large public audience. Its members currently include:

Derek Robertson and Haley Love of Mash Strategy to coordinate the overall communications and promotional effort.
Morten Paulsen of the Paulsen Group to assist with project communications and media relations
Rebekah Swiston Craig to assist in managing the technology required to support the Assembly.

APPENDIX B

Western Dissatisfactions and Concerns Prompting the Assembly

As is well known, increasing dissatisfactions across the West, but particularly in Alberta, have given rise to a growing conviction that “the status quo is no longer an acceptable option” and that other options offering positive change for the future must be thoroughly considered and acted upon.

The main sources of these dissatisfactions include:

Ignorance, indifference, and even outright hostility on the part of the media, academic, and political elites of central and eastern Canada toward the legitimate concerns and aspirations of Canada West.
Systemic imbalances and unfairness in the constitution and institutions of the Canadian federation - including the Senate, House of Common, and Supreme Court.
Discriminatory and unacceptable aspects of the policies and actions of the federal government – a government over which Canada West has limited influence – including systematic and unilateral intrusion by the federal government in areas of provincial jurisdiction as defined by the constitution.
Systemic inequities in the application of the Constitutional provision for “equalization” via the Federal-Provincial Fiscal Arrangements Act and the use of the federal spending power.
Increasing difficulty in realizing western Canadian aspirations – such as the freedom to responsibly develop the natural resources of Canada and to freely access world markets – with the private sector rather than governments and the public sector being the driving force in pursuing such aspirations.
Decisions of unelected, federally appointed judges that undermine the rights and freedoms of western Canadians - in particular property rights, parental rights, and freedoms of speech and assembly – as well as potentially undermining decisions and positions of western Canada’s elected legislatures that use the section 33 “notwithstanding clause” of the Charter of Rights and Freedoms.
The absence of any effective protection of property rights in the Charter of Rights and Freedoms and the absence of any provision of “fair compensation” if and when such property rights are lawfully abridged.

APPENDIX C

Main Options to be Considered By the Assembly

The List Option – lists of western requests/demands presented to the Carney government – mainly through correspondence and news releases - by Premier Smith, Premier Moe, and private sector representatives over the last year, and requesting substantive and expeditious federal responses. These are augmented by similar lists representing Manitoba, BC, and territorial requests/demands.
The Provincial Sovereignty Within Canada Option – strengthening the role and activities of the provinces in every area of provincial jurisdiction as defined by the current constitution, seeking repeal or amendment of federal statutes authorizing federal intrusion in areas of provincial jurisdiction, and “pushing the envelope” in every area of joint federal-provincial jurisdictions such as the environment, agriculture, and immigration. This Option is defined in part by the Alberta Sovereignty Within a United Canada Act, the concluding section of the 2025 Alberta Government’s Throne Speech, and the report of the Alberta Next deliberations.
- Note: Sovereignty in Canadian law refers to the authority of both the federal and provincial governments to govern within the Constitutional definition of their respective jurisdictions. Sovereignty in this context is not be misinterpreted as meaning secession – the Alberta Sovereignty Within Canada Act, for example, explicitly declares that the province cannot authorize secession.
The Secession Options – either to form a completely independent country or to form an independent country with the intention of associating more closely with the United States.
The Remain Option – Numerous organized efforts exist to champion the Remain/Stay Option. Representatives of these, or an academic/commentator who can summarize and present their views, are also being invited to make representations to the Assembly, in particular to address the question of Remain and What? – accept the status quo? pursue some other defined course of action? If so, what?
- Note: As of September 2026 the various advocates of Remain/Stay included:
  - Alberta Voice https://albertasvoice.ca represented by political consultant Stephen Carter. This group argues that the “status quo” is not nearly as negative and unacceptable as its opponents maintain, that “scapegoating” the constitution and federal polices such as those on immigration is unacceptable, and urges Albertan’s to vote No to the first nine questions on the October 19th referendum.
  - ForalbertaForcanada https://foralbertaforcanada.ca is a website of the Alberta NDP, official opposition in the Alberta legislature, through which it is urging Albertans to reject secession and vote for Alberta to remain a strong province within the Canadian federation.
  - Conservative Party of Canada https://www.conservative.ca is the website of the Official Opposition in the parliament of Canada, whose leader Pierre Poilivre is an Alberta MP, and who has declared his intention to vigorously support the Remain option in the Alberta referendum campaign. Poilievre has named Dane Lloyd – the MP for Sturgeon River Parkland since 2017 - as his “referendum lead”.
  - Forever Canadian https://www.forever-canadian.ca represented by former Deputy Premier of Alberta, Thomas Lukaszuk, has secured over 400,000 signatures in support of its position and desires a Yes vote from the Alberta legislature on the question, “Do you agree that Alberta should remain in Canada?”
  - Vote To Stay https://votetostay.ca organized by former federal MP and Cabinet Minster Monte Solberg and associates, urges Albertans to get out and Vote To Stay on October 19 and “defend everything we have built together”.
  - Lead Not Leave https://www.leadnotleave.ca organized by political consultant Ken Boesenkool and describes itself as an effort “bringing together respected voices from across Alberta's conservative, academic, policy, and community landscape who believe the province's future is strongest inside a united Canada.”
  - Note that spokespersons for Forever Canadian, Vote to Stay, and Lead Not Leave have indicated that they do not wish to participate in any forum involving secessionist on the grounds that doing so would grant “a legitimacy to secession and its proponents that they do not deserve”. This a position which may change as the referendum draws near and directly challenging the secession option rather than dismissing it as illegitimate becomes more advisable.
A Federal Government Response – if the Prime Minister or his designate is willing to make a substantive presentation providing an updated federal government response to the current concerns and aspirations of Canada West, including the Options defined above. Note that the Prime Minister has designated Morgan Breitkreutz - the former Chief of Staff to Edmonton MP and Cabinet Minister Eleanor Oszewsky – as his “senior special advisor” on the Alberta referendum.

APPENDIX D

The October 19th Alberta Referendum Ballot

The October 19 Referendum Ballot originally proposed by Premier Smith seeks the opinion of Albertans on nine questions all of them “federalist” in nature. Five seek advice on whether Alberta should assume more leadership with respect immigration as it affects the province. Four seek advice on measures to make federalism work better for Alberta through abolishing the unrepresentative and ineffective Senate; transferring the power to appoint provincial judges to provincial governments; exercising an op out from unacceptable federal legislation that intrudes in areas of provincial jurisdiction; and giving priority to provincial policies in areas of shared jurisdiction.

On May 20, Premier Smith announced the addition of a tenth question to the October 19th Referendum ballot, namely: Should Alberta remain a province of Canada or should the Government of Alberta commence the legal process required under the Canadian Constitution to hold a binding provincial referendum on whether or not Alberta should separate from Canada? Debate over the two options this question offers will be intense over the next three months, providing more input to be taken into account by delegates and advisors to the Assembly.

The questions on the referendum ballot are:

Do you support the Government of Alberta taking increased control over immigration for the purposes of decreasing immigration to more sustainable levels, prioritizing economic migration and giving Albertans first priority on new employment opportunities?
Do you support the Government of Alberta introducing a law mandating that only Canadian citizens, permanent residents and individuals with an Alberta approved immigration status will be eligible for provincially-funded programs, such as health care, education and other social services?
Assuming that all Canadian citizens and permanent residents continue to qualify for social support programs as they do now, do you support the Government of Alberta introducing a law requiring all individuals with a non-permanent legal immigration status to reside in Alberta for at least 12 months before qualifying for any provincially-funded social support programs?
Assuming that all Canadian citizens and permanent residents continue to qualify for public health care and education as they do now, do you support the Government of Alberta charging a reasonable fee or premium to individuals with a non-permanent immigration status living in Alberta for their and their family’s use of the healthcare and education systems?
Do you support the Government of Alberta introducing a law requiring individuals to provide proof of citizenship, such as a passport, birth certificate or citizenship card, to vote in an Alberta provincial election?
Do you support the Government of Alberta working with the governments of other willing provinces to amend the Canadian Constitution to have provincial governments, and not the federal government, select the justices appointed to provincial King’s Bench and Appeal courts?
Do you support the Government of Alberta working with the governments of other willing provinces to amend the Canadian Constitution to abolish the unelected federal Senate?
Do you support the Government of Alberta working with the governments of other willing provinces to amend the Canadian Constitution to allow provinces to opt out of federal programs that intrude on provincial jurisdiction such as health care, education, and social services, without a province losing any of the associated federal funding for use in its social programs?
Do you support the Government of Alberta working with the governments of other willing provinces to amend the Canadian Constitution to better protect provincial rights from federal interference by giving a province’s laws dealing with provincial or shared areas of constitutional jurisdiction priority over federal laws when the province’s laws and federal laws conflict?
Should Alberta remain a province of Canada, or should the Government of Alberta commence the legal process required under the Canadian Constitution to hold a binding provincial referendum on whether or not Alberta should separate from Canada?
- Option 1: Alberta should remain a province of Canada.
- Option 2: The Government of Alberta should commence the legal process required under the Canadian Constitution to hold a binding provincial referendum on whether or not Alberta should separate from Canada

APPENDIX E

Additional factors to be considered by the delegates to the

video-conference and its follow up session.

One of the responses of the federal government to Alberta’s frustrations re: restrictions on its ability to move oil and gas to seaboard is provided by the Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) between Alberta and Canada signed between Premier Smith and Prime Minister Carney on November 27th (Canada-Alberta Memorandum of Understanding)

Albertans and other westerners will undoubtedly have questions about what progress is actually being made in implementing the terms of the MOU, and to what extent implementation of its terms actually alleviates the uncertainties and federally-imposed roadblocks that have plagued the Alberta petroleum sector to date.

Additionally, a Quebec provincial election is to be held on October 5th, just two weeks before the October 19 Alberta referendum. One of the main issues in that elections is:

Should Quebec become a Sovereign Country separate from the Canadian federation – the position of the Party Quebecois and to be decided by another provincial referendum should that party should win the election? Or,
Should Quebec take measures to assure its status of a Sovereign Province within (not separate from) the Canadian federation - the position of the current CAQ government, the position most likely to be advanced by the Quebec Liberals with support from the federal government, and a position not dissimilar from that advocated by Alberta’s Premier Smith.

Livestreaming of the Assembly proceedings will provide members of the public and the media opportunity to observe its deliberations, just as if they were in the public or press galleries of a legislature.

Western Canadians viewing the deliberations of the Assembly via the live streaming of its sessions will have several opportunities to participate and influence the conclusions and recommendations of the Assembly:

By submitting their questions and comments to the Assembly website, to which responses will be provided.
By responding to polls and surveys which will be conducted during the sessions to secure their views and positions on the Main Options and positions being presented.

APPENDIX F

How to Contribute to the Financing of the Alberta and the West Project

Financial contributions in support of the Alberta and the West Project may be made to the Manning Foundation for Democratic Education (MFDE), instructions for making such donations available by contacting Mr. Troy Lanigan, President of the MFDE at troy@manningfoundation.org cell 250 888 5040

APPENDIX G

Clarifications and Disclaimers

Any Project of this kind, dealing with an issue as important and sensitive as the future position of Alberta and Canada West in relation to the Canadian federation, will be suspected of hidden intentions and biases.

The Organizers therefore which to make abundantly clear

That the proposed video conferencing Assembly is not intended to promote any one of the Major Options to be considered but to insure that each gets a fair hearing and is subject to respectful examination of its strengths and weaknesses.
That in particular, while Secession is one of the Options to be considered, the fact that it is to be considered in a democratic forum is not to be misinterpreted as endorsing, opposing, or promoting Secession.
That while each member of the Organizing Group has their own personal views as to the best path forward for Alberta and Canada West, we are united in this exercise for the sole purpose of creating and supporting a democratic forum - with access to expert advice - to receive, debate, and cross-examine all of the Major Options facing Alberta and Canada West and to decide which or which combination, in the
judgment of the Assembly, constitutes the best way forward.

THE ALBERTA AND THE WEST ASSEMBLY