Hundreds of First Nations members and allies gather outside the Alberta Legislature to protest the province’s proposed separation and Bill 54 on May 15, 2025, in Edmonton.Artur Widak/Reuters
An Alberta First Nation is seeking to quash a potential referendum on provincial separation, saying they have been treated as “chattel on the land” and that an independence campaign would make Alberta vulnerable to foreign interference.
On Monday, Sturgeon Lake Cree First Nation, a band in northwest Alberta, sued the provincial and federal governments and the province’s chief electoral officer in the Court of King’s Bench, asking for an injunction on a separatist petition approved last week. Sturgeon Lake argues separation is impossible without First Nations consent and that a referendum would open the door to corporate donors and digital campaigns by foreign actors, specifically from the United States.
“Alberta has treated [Sturgeon Lake Cree First Nation] as though they are chattel on the land, merely an afterthought in forced negotiations, not the first step in any potential secession,” states the court document.
It goes on to say: “Alberta has no right to secede from Canada and no right to take Treaty No. 8 territory.”
The First Nation is located on Treaty No. 8 territory.
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Sturgeon Lake’s lawsuit warns of the threat from foreign actors, arguing a referendum “will enable foreign interference from the most powerful nation to the south … In 2026, Alberta’s actions are not only illegal, but they are also consummately irresponsible and dishonourable.”
Alberta First Nations have loudly opposed the prospect of an independence referendum over the past year since Alberta Premier Danielle Smith made it easier to launch citizen-initiated petitions.
Last week, Elections Alberta gave final approval for pro-separation organizers to kick off a four-month drive to gather the nearly 178,000 signatures required to force a referendum. Separatist leaders have been emboldened since Ms. Smith threatened a national unity crisis over federal energy policies, while U.S. President Donald Trump mused about making Canada the 51st state.
If the petition is successful, Ms. Smith has committed to holding a referendum in 2026.
The U.S. capture of Venezuelan leader Nicolás Maduro on Saturday and military intervention in the Latin American country has reignited questions about Mr. Trump’s imperialistic ambitions and his relationship to Canada, with which he shares a nearly 9,000-kilometre border.
With separatist organizers now allowed to collect signatures, First Nations have said the movement will strain relationships with their non-Indigenous neighbours in Alberta. Sheldon Sunshine, chief of the Sturgeon Lake Cree First Nation, said in an interview last week that petitioners won’t find support in Indigenous communities.
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“They won’t be welcome here, I’ll tell you that,” he said.
“There’s no support in our community. They could talk all they want about separating, but really, at the end of the day, this land is First Nation land.”
Justin Brattinga, spokesperson for Ms. Smith, did not address questions asking whether she was concerned about potential foreign interference in an independence referendum or whether her views have changed after the weekend’s events in Venezuela.
In a statement, Ms. Smith said the events in South America “emphasize the importance that we expedite the development of pipelines to diversify our oil export markets.”
The Premier on Monday began a two-week vacation, returning to work on Jan. 19.
Last year, nine Indigenous groups intervened in a case assessing the constitutionality of the proposed referendum question on separation. A judge ruled that Alberta cannot secede without First Nations’ consent, though it remains unclear whether they would have a veto.
A bill introduced by Ms. Smith’s government late last year invalidated any court cases on referendum questions and allowed the independence proponents to re-submit their application with fewer barriers to success.
Alberta anti-separation petition surpasses goal, collects 456,000 signatures
Independence leader Jeffrey Rath and others associated with the movement have publicized visits to Washington, saying they are working to have the U.S. recognize Alberta as an independent nation if it votes to separate. The Alberta Prosperity Project, a pro-independence group, has disavowed the idea of joining the U.S.
Mr. Rath, a lawyer with the Prosperity Project, said his group will apply to be a defendant in the Sturgeon Lake lawsuit and called the effort “ill-conceived and poorly thought-out.”
“There is no Treaty right preventing your fellow citizens from signing a petition,” he said in an interview.
Lisa Young, a political science professor at the University of Calgary, said a separation referendum would be destabilizing and likely provide an opening for foreign actors wishing to sway public opinion.
“We’re talking about whether money finds its way in to support the Yes committee; whether there are digital interventions – bots from Russia or Iran or somewhere else that are interfering in the online conversation about this,” Prof. Young said.
While Mr. Trump has not publicly referred to Canada as the 51st state in recent months, in recent days he has threatened Colombia and Greenland and said Cuba was “ready to fall.” The U.S. Department of State wrote on social media Monday: “This is our hemisphere.”
Prof. Young said Mr. Trump would likely be pleased to see Alberta as a wedge he could use to weaken and break apart Canada.
“We do live in a geopolitical moment where the so-called great powers don’t need ironclad excuses for violating sovereignty,” she said.