EDMONTON — Alberta NDP Leader Naheed Nenshi said his public support does not matter when it comes to him advocating for federalism, claiming that Albertans care more about the cause rather than the voice. "It's not a progressive or conservative thing," said Nenshi on Sunday in an appearance on CTV Question Period. “It's a rational ‘save the greatest country in the world’ argument versus a ‘people want to destroy what we have’ argument.”"So you know, my political career is completely irrelevant in the fight to save Canada, and I know we'll be able to save Canada." The Alberta NDP launched the For Alberta campaign against Alberta independence in April to ensure that Albertans do not "sleepwalk" into an Alberta independence referendum. Nenshi's comments came after host Vassy Kapelos cited the NDP's poor poll performance and questioned whether Nenshi's advocacy hurts the ability for federalism to resonate with conservative Albertans. "No, because people don't care about politics,' Nenshi said. "They care about Canada.".A Leger poll conducted in April and released on May 4 found Premier Danielle Smith with a 46% approval rating among respondents, compared to 35% for Nenshi. Their approval ratings flipped compared to Leger's October 2025 poll, where Nenshi had 43% support, and Smith had 38%. Respondent also favoured the UCP in a hypothetical election, with 53% of decided voters saying they would vote for the UCP in an election and 36% supporting the NDP. "So, as for the polls, look, they are wild right now," Nenshi said. "You know, for every poll that comes out that says we're going to cream them, another poll comes out that says they're going to cream us. I don't care.""Every single poll starts with the words, if an election were held today? Well, there is no election held today, but there is a referendum coming in five months, and we have to get organized to make sure that happens.".Alberta's former deputy premier, Thomas Lukaszuk, and former Premier Jason Kenney are playing active roles in the fight against Alberta independence, with Lukaszuk leading the Forever Canadian petition and campaign, and Kenney often using his platform to ask Albertans not to give up on Canada. "The real problem here is that Danielle Smith is operating a Brexit strategy, a David Cameron strategy, which is, she's trying to play both sides of the fence," Nenshi said."She will not lift a finger for the remain side in the referendum, though, she will wrap herself in the Canadian flag."Smith previously said she is an active supporter of Alberta remaining in Canada, often saying she supports a "sovereign Alberta within a united Canada." Smith said she advocates by seeking approval for a new pipeline from Alberta to the coast of Northern BC and by securing other amendments that give Alberta a better deal within Canada. .There is not currently a question on Alberta independence scheduled for Alberta's October referendum, though two such questions could end up on the ballot. Stay Free Alberta submitted a petition on May 4 with 301,620 signatures calling for a referendum asking, "Do you agree that the Province of Alberta should cease to be part of Canada to become an independent state?" Three ongoing court cases seeking to have Stay Free Alberta's petition thrown out, raising questions about whether an Alberta independence referendum would be constitutional and whether the Chief Electoral Officer erred in issuing the petition. Lukaszuk's petition could also trigger a referendum question, though he has since claimed he wants a policy vote in the legislature. A committee of Alberta MLAs is charged with determining how to move forward with Lukaszuk's petition.
