Former Alberta premier Jason Kenney is calling on Albertans to vote in next week’s referendum on separation in large numbers, and to deliver a decisive result for the federalist side. “I’m concerned about turnout, because the lower the turnout, the better for the separatist side,” Kenney told CTV Question Period host Vassy Kapelos in an interview airing Sunday. “If turnout is 40 per cent or below, I think they could actually win.” On Oct. 19, Albertans will answer a referendum question asking whether they want to remain a part of Canada, or whether the province should “commence the legal process required under the Canadian Constitution to hold a binding provincial referendum on whether or not Alberta should separate from Canada.” Kenney said those voting to head toward a binding referendum in the future are a combination of hardcore separatists who “will crawl over broken glass” to vote, and what he calls “frustrated federalists who want to use this to send a message.” Polling from this summer, however, suggests most Albertans want to remain in Canada. The survey, conducted online by Research Co. between Aug. 24 and 26 and provided to CTV News, found 74 per cent would answer “no” to the provincial government’s question on separation. But Kenney said he’s worried federalists will look at the polls and think a win for staying in Canada is a sure thing. “Also, the 10 complex questions on the ballot may mean, as you’ve suggested, long wait times, which will disadvantage federalists,” Kenney said. “Their support tends to be in the most densely populated areas,” he added. “The separatist support concentrates in the least populated areas, where there would be the lowest, the shortest wait times to vote.” Recent reports also indicate Elections Alberta is overwhelmed, and the Globe and Mail has published a sweeping investigation into key separatist leaders’ ties to Republican operatives in the United States. Alberta Premier Danielle Smith, meanwhile, has repeatedly said she is on the side of Alberta staying within Canada, though she’s faced criticism for not actively campaigning for the stay side of the referendum question, and has dodged questions on whether she bears any culpability if the vote does not go the federalist way. Kenney was asked what his message is to the federalists who are considering staying home on referendum day because they’re looking at the polling numbers and thinking the vote is a foregone conclusion for the “stay” side. He said if anyone wants to move past the issue “decisively,” they need to put out a “strong statement.” “The most persuasive argument of the separatist side is use this to send a message,” he said. “I want to say to pro-Canada folks: yes, we need to send a message, a message that this province is a stable place in which to invest.” He added, “Yes, we are going to fight for a stronger deal for Alberta within Canada, but we are not going to tolerate going through a decades-long, hugely divisive and destructive debate over whether or not we are Canadian. That has not served Quebec well.” Hardcore separatists ‘angry with modernity’: Kenney Kenney said a decisive victory for federalists is crucial in this referendum because separatists are already signalling they won’t accept the results if it’s a win for the stay side. “They’re prepositioning that this will be rigged because that’s the script they’ve learned from MAGA, who inspires them. And they’ve already said they will carry on regardless of the result,” Kenney said. “You need to understand for the most hardcore separatists, like the hardcore activists, this is not just a vote on their Alberta’s place in Canada, but in the world,” he added. “These are folks who are angry with modernity, with globalization, automation, diversity, immigration, modern medical science, vaccines, the ostrich farm cull, chemtrails, the World Economic Forum.” Kenney also said the “hardcore” separatists are not fighting against the environmental policies of the former federal Liberal government, or for any other “legitimate” grievance. Rather, he said, “this is a vote against what they see as remote global elites who are manipulating their lives, and for them, that’s a headspace they’re in, and nothing will get them out of it.” You can watch former Alberta premier Jason Kenney’s full interview on CTV Question Period Sunday at 11 a.m. ET. With files from CTV News Calgary’s Michael Franklin
