Former Alberta premier Jason Kenney to participate in separation debates

EDMONTON – Former Alberta premier Jason Kenney is taking up the Canadian cause as he’s set to participate in two debates about separatism against a lawyer pushing for the province to go its own way.

The first debate is to take place in Edmonton on May 1 at a member’s only conference put on by Civitas Canada, a conservative non-profit organization.

An agenda for the conference says both sides of the separatism debate want economic fairness for Alberta, and it’ll be up to Kenney and lawyer Keith Wilson to argue which path helps that goal. 

“What is the best way for Albertans to fulfil their destiny? Remain a Canadian province or become an independent state?” the agenda reads.

Postmedia columnist Lorne Gunter is listed as being the moderator.

Kenney said in a text message Wednesday that the second debate will take place in Calgary and is being put on by the Aristotle Foundation for Public Policy.

The think tank’s president, Mark Milke, said in an email that the organization hasn’t had the chance to finalize details but acknowledged that both Kenney and Wilson had committed to it. 

Kenney didn’t say why he decided to participate, but the former United Conservative premier has been an outspoken critic of Alberta’s separatist movement, which has significantly bubbled up over the past year.

A petition looking to force a vote on Alberta separation was launched in January. It has until May 2 to gather nearly 178,000 signatures to push the issue forward.

Premier Danielle Smith, Kenney’s successor, has said that should the campaign be successful, the question will be put to Albertans this fall.

Smith has faced criticism for saying she supports Alberta staying within Confederation despite her government tabling two pieces of legislation to make it easier for separatists to get their question on the ballot.

Kenney hasn’t criticized Smith directly, but last fall he called it “bananas” to let an “angry minority” force Albertans into a debate about separatism.

“(It would be) a referendum that would divide families, divide communities, divide friends for no useful purpose,” Kenney told The Canadian Press in September.

Smith has also refused to denounce the separatist movement, saying she wouldn’t demonize those who feel Alberta has been slighted by Ottawa. She has said it’s her job to prove that Alberta can succeed with Canada.

Wilson, Kenney’s debate opponent, doesn’t have a formal role in the petition campaign but is a supporter of the movement. Wilson is a longtime lawyer who has been involve in high-profile cases, such as when he represented a few organizers in the 2022 Freedom Convoy.

He implied in an email Wednesday that he fully expects Alberta separation to be up for a vote in the fall, calling it a potentially “historic moment” for the province.

“Albertans will have the opportunity to consider a clear and lawful path for independence,” he said. 

“Given the magnitude of that decision, it is critically important that voters hear a full and balanced discussion of the issues from both sides.”

— with files from Bill Graveland in Calgary

This report by The Canadian Press was first published March 25, 2026.