EDMONTON — The French Canadian Association of Alberta (ACFA) announced it will join Thomas Lukaszuk and Forever Canadian in the campaign against Alberta independence. "Our mandate is clear: to protect the gains achieved and to advance the rights of francophones in Alberta," reads a statement from ACFA President Nathalie Lachance. "When fundamental issues affect the future of our communities, we have a responsibility to speak out.""It is therefore in keeping with our mandate and our history that I announce today that the ACFA is officially joining the Forever Canadian movement." ACFA made the announcement at a joint press conference with Forever Canadian on Thursday, where both sides underscored the importance of banding together to fight for Alberta to remain in Canada amid intensifying momentum behind the Alberta independence movement. According to 2021 Canadian census data, 64,440 Albertans reported French as their mother tongue..The association emphasized that Francophone language and heritage have a history of over 200 years in Alberta, and that their rights as Albertans and Canadians are protected. It noted that many of Alberta's constitutionally required French-language services are funded through provincial and federal agreements.Alberta has shown increased recognition of the francophone community in recent years, including the establishment of a Francophone Secretariat and the declaration of 2026 as the Year of the Francophone. "These advances nevertheless depend on a stable framework and sustained political will," reads the ACFA statement. That is why ACFA chose to join Forever Canadian in the fight to keep Alberta in Canada, a move which Lukaszuk applauded. "We welcome ACFA's decision to join our movement," reads a statement from Lukaszuk. "The Francophonie and linguistic duality are integral to Canada's identity and fundamental to what distinguishes our country."Coinciding with the two joining forces, Forever Canadian also announced that it is now a bilingual group, using both of Canada's official languages. Lukaszuk said being bilingual reflects the inclusive Canada that his group believes in. .The federalist movement received additional political backing from Alberta NDP Leader Naheed Nenshi on Thursday, as he told reporters he will knock on doors and campaign against Alberta independence once the referendum is called. "We should have people of every political stripe who love this nation standing up for this nation," said Nenshi in a press conference. "I will play a very large role in these conversations going forward. I have to. I'm a proud Canadian, and someone has to stand up for Canada, because Danielle Smith sure as hell isn't doing it."Meanwhile, Premier Danielle Smith said on Thursday that she has already been advocating for Alberta to remain in Canada by working to secure a better deal for the province within the confederation. "I've been working tirelessly with our federal counterparts to identify the very significant pressure points that have caused Albertans to lose hope, and that's why we signed an MOU in November," said Smith. "It's why we're having trilateral conversations with British Columbia to get a new bitumen pipeline built in the Northwest BC coast."
