Danielle Smith makes plea to separatists in televised speech, vows no more secession referendums

Alberta Premier Danielle Smith speaks on Sept. 30. "Tonight I want to invite every Albertan who may still feel hopeless or frustrated with the past direction of our country, to believe and hope in Canada again," she said in a televised speech on Tuesday, Oct. 20, 2026. Photo by Brent Calver/Postmedia/File

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In a province-wide address on Tuesday evening, Alberta Premier Danielle Smith vowed not to hold another referendum on the secession issue, while also urging separatist voters to “believe and hope in Canada again” following Monday’s referendum results.

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In her first public remarks since referendum polls closed, the premier again sought to elevate the various deals and major projects her government has signed with Prime Minister Mark Carney in an effort to mend Alberta’s fractured relationship with Ottawa. Her comments came one day after Albertans voted with a decisive three-to-one margin to reject a proposal to hold a second legally-binding vote on whether to leave Confederation.

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“And I want to make it clear tonight that for as long as I am premier, I will honour this mandate from Albertans and will not be holding another referendum on this issue,” she said. “It is time to move forward together as a strong and free Alberta within a united Canada.”

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As of 7:00 p.m. MT on Tuesday, more than 1.95 million votes had been counted on the referendum’s 10th question, which asked whether Alberta should stay in Canada (Option 1) or hold a second vote on the matter (Option 2). Seventy-five per cent voted to stay in Canada while 25 per cent opted for the second option, with 90 per cent of voting stations reporting results.

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Smith, who could now face an internal political reckoning from the very base of pro-independence supporters who helped get her elected, also made a plea to the one out of every four Albertans who supported Option 2.

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“You love this province, and you want your family and neighbours to have every opportunity to succeed,” she said. “Many of you view Ottawa as having threatened your freedoms and blocked your path to prosperity. I acknowledge the legitimate frustrations you’ve felt — most especially during the Justin Trudeau Liberal-NDP coalition years.”

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The premier based her optimism on a claim that the country has “changed significantly” in the last 1.5 years, evident in Ottawa’s newfound support for expanding oil and gas exports and its recent decision to desginate Alberta’s proposed West Coast oil pipeline as being in the national interest. In recent months, Smith and Carney have announced various major projects like oil project, a proposed passenger rail line between Edmonton and Calgary, and a recent $8-billion commitment toward four military bases in the provinces.

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“So tonight I want to invite every Albertan who may still feel hopeless or frustrated with the past direction of our country, to believe and hope in Canada again,” Smith said.

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“We are reversing course away from a lost decade and towards a bright future with Alberta’s prosperity at its centre.”

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The premier called for patience among Alberta’s most disillusioned voters, who have for decades raised concerns over Ottawa’s mistreatment of the province. Many Albertans have long accused the federal government of choking off personal freedoms, overstepping its jurisdictional boundaries and enacting restrictive environmental policies that stifled oil and gas sector growth, and Smith suggested that frustrations over those matters won’t dissapear overnight.