Alberta's independence movement is celebrating Quebec's election result. Lawyer Jeffrey Rath, a leading figure in the Alberta cause, said his camp is "very happy" with the Parti Quebecois winning 59 seats - a stunning comeback from just three seats in 2022 - and called it the first time a Quebec independence movement will openly support Alberta independence.
The comments came with 10 days to go before Albertans vote on Oct. 19 on a slate of 10 referendum questions on the province's future. Elections Alberta reports more than 650,000 mail-in ballot requests, signaling heavy interest in the vote.
Rath's reaction adds a new dimension to the Quebec-Alberta relationship. Parti Quebecois leader Paul St-Pierre Plamondon has previously told Calgary audiences that, were he premier, he would recognize an independent Alberta if Albertans voted to separate - a position that gives both movements a common cause against Ottawa.
The referendum follows months of dueling petition campaigns that each gathered hundreds of thousands of signatures. With Quebec's new premier-designate promising a third sovereignty referendum down the road, the two independence movements are now pressing Ottawa simultaneously for the first time in decades.
