EDMONTON — Stay Free Alberta CEO Mitch Sylvestre said Alberta independence supporters need to buy UCP memberships and increase their representation within the party and to help make it pro-independence. "We're telling our people to join the UCP, even though we understand that we're a large part of the UCP already," said Sylvestre to reporters on Monday after submitting the Stay Free Alberta petition to Elections Alberta. "And, everybody understands I'm a UCP CA chair, and have been for years, and I've been telling people for four years to join the UCP and come to AGMs and participate in a democracy."Over 301,000 Albertans signed Stay Free Alberta's petition. Sylvestre said now that the petition process is done, he is focused on getting his question onto a referendum ballot, which Premier Danielle Smith's UCP government has the power to do with to without a successful petition. .Individuals who attended the party's AGM in November witnessed the divide among members, as references to either side of the Alberta independence debate were met with a mix of cheers and jeers from the audience.A Mainstreet Research poll commissioned by the Western Standard and published in February found that 34.3% of respondents would have voted in favour of Alberta independence in a referendum at that time.However, support for Alberta independence ballooned to 62% among respondents who said they would have voted for Smith if an election were also held, and that level is likely higher when non-UCP members are excluded from the group.The issue is that Smith, the UCP's leader, opposes Alberta independence and advocates for a "sovereign Alberta within a united Canada."Sylvestre wants to change Smith's advocacy."Well, the premier is the leader," Sylvestre said. "The premier may or may not represent the base, and if I tell people to join the UCP, if, in fact, there's as many, or more, UCP people that are freedom people than are not, then I think that you should be able to give leaders instruction.""And I think that that's the purpose of it, to be able to tell our governors, or people that govern us, that the people want this, and they can choose to do it or not.".UCP bylaws allow board members to trigger a leadership review, which could potentially remove their leader, if two-thirds of the board members pass a motion to hold a vote.Sylvestre and the Alberta Prosperity Project attempted to secure control of the UCP Board of Directors at the AGM by handing out advertisements informing members which election candidates favoured independence and "work for us," and which were "pro-establishment" and "work for Gov.""The UCP board influences policy, fundraising, communications, and regional representation — key levers for amplifying Alberta-first voices," reads an APP blog post. "With federal policies increasingly sidelining our energy sector, resource rights, and economic freedoms, electing pro-independence directors ensures the party remains a vehicle for real change.""These candidates understand that Alberta’s path to prosperity may require bold steps toward greater autonomy, echoing the principles outlined in APP’s policy framework."APP's "pro-independence" candidates won four of the eight positions; however, their candidate, Darrell Komick, failed to defeat incumbent UCP President Rob Smith.
