EDMONTON — Popular Alberta independence supporter Jeffrey Rath is pushing back against individuals accusing him of belittling fellow Alberta independence supporters, claiming that his posts are his own content and should not detract from the movement. "Let's be really clear here: it's X, who cares?" said Rath in an interview with the Western Standard on Tuesday. "Like everybody needs to stop taking themselves so seriously and get over themselves." .Rath faced criticism online in recent weeks as Alberta independence supporters have objected to comments he has made about fellow nationalist advocate Keith Wilson, who has joined Rath and others as one of the more influential voices in the movement. On Monday, one individual accused Rath of belittling Wilson because he is not "on the same level." "I'm certainly not belittling Keith Wilson; I agree with most of what Keith has to say," Rath said. "Our only major disagreement is that Keith is loath to criticize Danielle Smith and somehow thinks that we can become independent while Smith remains as premier." The Western Standard reached out to Wilson for comment, but did not receive a response prior to publishing. Wilson and Tanya Clemens' "Let Alberta Decide" has become the highest-funded group advertising on either side of the Alberta independence referendum, generating $462,559 since registering with Elections Alberta on June 5, which is over $340,000 more than any other group. He also gained traction following a pair of independence debates with former Premier Jason Kenney, and through his work co-leading the creation of the Alberta Transition Council's soon-to-be-released white paper outlining the steps between a referendum and Alberta's independence. .The Alberta Prosperity Project released the Foundation of Freedom, a document meant to spark discussion about the constitution of an independent Alberta, in August. Their document caused a partial split within the movement; however, key figures, such as Wilson, spoke out against the proposal and argued that it was not the time for constitutional drafts. Wilson also took issue with some individuals attaching his name to the proposal, and said he had not reviewed it. Rath responded to the situation at the time and said Wilson was lying about his lack of involvement, and "This is just another example of Keith Wilson’s ego being bruised because he’s not actually in charge of anything." "It seems to a lot of us that he's positioning himself to be the leader of the Alberta independence movement," Rath said on Tuesday. "And you know, at the end of the day, it's a grassroots movement, and we all think that we're all better off without a single leader.""The suggestion that somehow or other I'm the one going after Keith, I mean, it was quite clear that Keith was undermining Mitch (Sylvestre) when he was criticizing him for releasing a discussion draft of the Constitution two or three weeks ago." Rath also said neither he nor Sylvestre contributed to the transition council's white paper. .The situation is not an anomaly; nor is Wilson the only independence supporter to have felt the wrath of Rath. This has drawn the attention of both sides of the movement, as federalists see the interactions as signs of infighting, and nationalists claim they must remain unified. Despite the attention, Rath said it is better for disagreements to be aired openly. "The federalists will grasp onto whatever they can," Rath said. "But that having been said, I would far rather that we have open public discussions, including on the Constitution, so that people continue to engage and continue to be involved in what is their movement.""The Alberta independence movement doesn't belong to Keith Wilson. It doesn't belong to me. It doesn't belong to Mitch. It belongs to the people of Alberta and all of the volunteers that are working forward on these issues." Alberta independence supporters often pride themselves on calling it a "grassroots movement," and Rath said that aspect is important. "Our strength is that we do not have a leader, right?" Rath said. "Our strength is that we are a grassroots movement, and nobody in our movement should be idolizing anybody or recognizing anybody as a leader."
