On Alberta separatism, just over half of Canadians say they understand the desire: poll

A new poll suggests more than half of Canadians say they understand why Alberta might want to split from Canada — even if almost two-thirds say they don’t want that to happen.

The Leger survey, which polled 1,537 Canadians between May 16 and 18, suggests that 55 per cent of Canadians understand Albertans’ desire for independence.

Because the poll was conducted online, it can’t be assigned a margin of error.

Seventy per cent of Albertans said they understand why their province might want to become an independent country.

The poll suggests 63 per cent of men say they grasp what’s driving Alberta separatism, while 48 per cent of women report the same.

While 77 per cent of Conservative voters said they understand the reasons behind the separatism movement, only 48 per cent of Liberal supporters responded the same way.

Sebastien Dallaire, Leger’s executive vice-president for Eastern Canada, said the survey suggests that there’s a “level of empathy” for Albertans. He added Canadians likely don’t think it’s a good idea for the province to separate, given the dire consequences it would have for the entire country.

“If you’re in B.C., it means the country will be split in half from your perspective,” Dallaire said. “If one province leaves, then it may open up, you know, more discussion about, of course, Quebec possibly also wanting to do the same, or other provinces.”

Only 26 per cent of respondents said they support the idea of Alberta becoming an independent country, with 12 per cent saying they “strongly” support it and 15 per cent saying they support it “somewhat.”

The numbers in the polling don’t always match up due to rounding.

Sixty-two per cent of respondents said they’re opposed, with 50 per cent saying they’re “strongly” opposed, 13 per cent saying they are somewhat opposed and 11 per cent saying they “don’t know.”

Among respondents who support the province of Alberta becoming a country, 76 per cent say they understand why Alberta might want to become independent.

Alberta Premier Danielle Smith’s government introduced a bill earlier this month to make it easier to launch a citizen-initiated referendum — including one on separating from Canada.

Smith has pointed to growing alienation in her province and frustration with Ottawa and has argued that those wanting to separate “are not fringe voices.”