UCP leadership candidate Bill Rock would hold a province-wide referendum on Alberta becoming its own nation in 2025, if elected premier. .Western alienation has been growing under Prime Minister Justin Trudeau’s leadership, which has included strict new regulatory measures on Alberta’s energy sector and an unwillingness to reopen the equalization payment formula which sees billions flow out of Alberta every year. .Rock said he wouldn’t immediately hold the separation referendum if elected, because the population must first be educated for the majority of the population to vote ‘yes.’.“First of all, you have to get the people out to vote, which means you have to convince them that this is very, very important,” he said in the interview, posted to Facebook..The Amisk mayor was interviewed by Vincent Byfield in place of a Thursday night leadership panel Rock was excluded from because he didn’t meet the requirement of being a current or former MLA. .READ MORE: UCP leadership candidate Rock barred from leadership panel because he's not a current or former MLA.The other seven leadership candidates met the requirements and were invited to participate in the panel, hosted by the Free Alberta Strategy Group. They were not asked if they would like Alberta to separate from the rest of Canada or if they would hold a referendum on the subject..A Mainstreet Research poll conducted for the Western Standard in October 2021, after Trudeau’s relection, found 40% of Albertans favour becoming their own nation. That’s only five percentage points behind the support for staying within Canada, at 45%..Rock said the referendum must ensure a high outcome for separation, because a referendum of 40% wouldn't hold up in the Supreme Court of Canada..The Amisk mayor is one of three candidates who supports the Alberta Sovereignty Act, proposed legislation which says Alberta will not follow federal legislation harmful to Alberta’s interest. Former Wildrose leader Danielle Smith and Independent MLA Todd Loewen also support the measure..READ MORE: Three UCP leadership candidates support an Alberta Sovereignty Act.Rock said the UCP government has not done a good job of getting the province a fair deal and the solution is to “start down the road of sovereignty.” This includes collecting our own income tax, getting Alberta energy to market, and taking “the federal government out of the equation (in) a lot of situations,” he said..UCP members will elect a new leader and premier on October 6.
