Four months to the day from an upcoming referendum on whether Alberta should stay in Canada, about 35 people rallied Friday at a Calgary hotel ballroom to formally launch a campaign to convince voters it's time for the province to separate.
The campaign is called "Let Alberta Decide."
Organizers promise it will be a serious, fact-based initiative to persuade people that Alberta has the workforce, the financial wherewithal, and the energy and agriculture resources to go it alone.
The campaign is to use news media, social media, advertising and public engagement.
The people behind it include Keith Wilson, a prominent separatist advocate who recently made a case for separation in debates with former Alberta premier Jason Kenney.
But Wilson, one of the co-chairs of the group, acknowledged it is an uphill battle.
"We're definitely the underdog and I do believe if the vote were held today, we wouldn't be successful," he told reporters.
"But I think a lot of people haven't engaged on this or the information they've received has been very skewed from those who are advocating in support of Ottawa.
“We want a balanced discussion, so that's why we've launched this campaign."
Premier Danielle Smith has announced that on Oct. 19, Albertans will vote on whether to stay in Alberta or hold a second referendum on whether to leave.
Smith says hundreds of thousands of Albertans have weighed in on the topic and deserve to be heard, while critics say she is behaving recklessly to appease separatist hardliners in her party.
Wilson's co-chair, Tanya Clemens, describes herself as a fourth-generation southern Alberta farmer, educator and Alberta independence advocate.
But she said that wasn't always the case.
"I was undecided at one point. I was more a proponent at one point back before I learned a bunch about this, of a sovereign Alberta within or without Canada," she said.
"I always tried to put the 'within' first.
"But as I started to gain some education and the steps we've taken through history … I realized we can't do this within Canada anymore."
Smith has promised to push for a pro-Canada vote.
Wilson dismissed the fact that Alberta Conservative MP's are planning to campaign on the pro-Canada side, too.
"They're part of an establishment that hasn't served Alberta's interests and they are essentially in a mode of preserving their jobs and their role," he said.
"And we're advocating, those of us who support independence, that we don't need to be governed by Ottawa. We don't need federal members of Parliament."
There were no flags or chants during the campaign kickoff. One man wore a dark blue T-shirt reading "I support and independent Alberta."
Clemens said there will be several third-party advertisers and independence groups during the campaign but they won't be formally linked.
Polls have suggested a large majority of Albertans want to stay in Confederation, but the debate itself is splitting communities.
A recent rodeo parade in the town of Sundre was cancelled amid threats and abuse following parade organizers rejecting a float festooned with Alberta flags.
Another case involved separation advocate Cory Morgan, who was Friday's event. In Taber, official directed him to take down a pro-separation billboard from town land by last weekend. The board remains up and two more signs have been added.
