Members of the Alberta NDP hosted the Better Together town hall in Lethbridge on Monday, August 18, 2025. (Photo: Naheed Nenshi)

By David Opinko

Alberta NDP hears separation concerns at Lethbridge town hall

Aug 20, 2025 | 3:13 PM

If Alberta were to separate from Canada, would your Canadian passport still be valid? What about your Canadian currency?

Those are just a couple of the questions that were asked at the Better Together town hall that was held in Lethbridge this week.

It saw members of the Alberta NDP, including leader Naheed Nenshi, Lethbridge-West MLA Rob Miyashiro, and Calgary-Mountain View MLA Kathleen Ganley sharing their perspectives and taking questions from those in attendance.

Miyashiro says it was “standing room only” at CASA, as hundreds also voiced their concerns with the idea of separation.

“Why would we do this? What’s the point of this? A lot of the people are not in favour of leaving Canada, a lot of people that we talked to, not just Monday night, but we’ve been door knocking since the spring as well,” says Miyashiro.

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Although Premier Danielle Smith has publicly stated that she believes in a united Canada, Miyashiro believes that she is trying to plant the seeds for separation.

He pointed to Quebec’s attempts to leave the country in 1980 and 1995 as evidence that separation would not go well for Alberta.

“Hundreds of companies left Quebec because of the uncertainty it created for the business environment… businesses and investors that are looking for a place to buy products or goods or services, they want to know there’s stability.”

Just outside of the town hall, canvassers were gathering signatures for the Alberta Forever Canada petition.

Former Mayor Chris Spearman claimed in a social media post that 2,000 people showed up to sign the petition that asks, “Do you agree that Alberta should remain in Canada?”

Miyashiro says, “I believe they had way more people than they thought would attend. I know there were people coming into Lethbridge from out of town to sign the petition. It shows that people in Lethbridge and area are not in favour of separation.”

He is encouraging everyone who feels strongly about the issue of separation to contact their MLA.