Support for Alberta's independence movement surged under former prime minister Justin Trudeau.
In a recent interview, outgoing Liberal MP Steven Guilbeault said “When you look at the support for separatism in Alberta, contrary to popular belief it didn't flame up when Justin Trudeau was prime minister — it stayed pretty stable, it has been pretty stable for the last 20 years or so."
While support for Alberta independence has always been a factor in Alberta politics, Justin Trudeau’s tenure in the prime minister’s office brought it up to record levels.
During the Harper era, support for Alberta independence polled at 19 percent. Two years after Justin Trudeau’s election in 2016, independence support had risen to 25 percent.
With Trudeau’s re-election in 2019, independence support rose to 33 percent.
Now with Mark Carney as prime minister, support for Alberta independence has blossomed into a full movement with a referendum scheduled this fall. That never could have come about without Trudeau planting the seeds of dissent in Alberta in 2016 and fostering it for over a decade.
Guilbeault’s claim that support for Alberta independence has remained stable for 20 years is pure mistruth.
Signup
The legacy media is counting on one thing: that you'll see the false headline and never see the correction. Don't let them get away with it.
Sign up for email updates from Alberta Fact Check and we'll send every new fact check straight to you the moment it's published. You'll always know what was said, who said it, and exactly where they got it wrong. It's free, it takes ten seconds, and it's the easiest way to stay one step ahead of the spin.