Former Alberta Jason Kenney.

By Bill Graveland, The Canadian Press

Provincial Politics

Alberta UCP caucus has ‘no business’ signing separation vote petition; former premier

Feb 2, 2026 | 5:20 PM

Former Alberta premier Jason Kenney says the governing United Conservative Party caucus has “no business” signing a petition to force a vote on the province quitting Canada.

Kenney says the party, which he helped create and used to lead, has a charter that says it’s committed to a strong Alberta within a united Canada.

He says since UCP members were elected on that platform, he hopes they haven’t signed the petition.

One leader of the petition campaign to force a vote to leave Canada has said some members of Premier Danielle Smith’s caucus have signed on.

Smith told CTV over the weekend that her caucus members are free to sign whatever petitions they want, as it’s not an action she would police.

She said she wasn’t aware of any caucus members who signed and she believes her party is united in having a “sovereign Alberta within a united Canada.”

This report by The Canadian Press was first published Feb. 2, 2026.

— With files from Jack Farrell in Edmonton