John Bolton - January 04, 2026


Independence Calendar Episode 5 - Where to sign a petition


Episode Stats

Length

16 minutes

Words per Minute

184.12627

Word Count

2,971

Sentence Count

251

Misogynist Sentences

1

Hate Speech Sentences

1


Summary

In this episode, we chat with Dennis Kalma, the co-writer of the document, The Value of Freedom, and Jeff Rath, the author of The Cost It Out Plan for Alberta Independence. We talk about how you can join the movement to get Alberta Independence on the ballot in a referendum.


Transcript

00:00:00.000 Hi, it's John, and welcome to the Independence Calendar for Sunday, January 4th, 2026.
00:00:09.640 This is episode five, our first episode of the new year.
00:00:12.920 Happy New Year to you.
00:00:13.960 I tip my big blue mug of coffee to you, my friends in Independence.
00:00:18.120 And it's been a great week so far with big news coming the other day.
00:00:22.580 This news right here, this is at the Alberta Prosperity Project website.
00:00:26.480 Alberta Prosperity Project achieves major milestone, referendum question on independence approved.
00:00:32.400 We're going to talk a little bit about how you can sign a petition on this episode.
00:00:37.280 Also, we're going to chat with Dennis Kalma, the co-writer of this document, along with Jeff Rath,
00:00:43.760 The Value of Freedom, the Cost It Out Plan for Alberta Independence.
00:00:47.340 I did a long interview with Dennis the other day.
00:00:50.180 I'll put a card at the end so you can watch the whole thing.
00:00:52.320 But I'm going to show you a short segment in here on how you can benefit from Alberta independence.
00:00:57.540 If you're sitting on the fence, you're going to like this. Trust me.
00:01:00.260 Also coming up, we're going to look at some of the things you've been sending me.
00:01:03.000 My email address is back up. It was down for a short time.
00:01:06.180 Google thought my email address, johnboltonab at gmail.com, was a bot. It isn't.
00:01:11.700 And a number of you have sent me pictures. You've sent me events. You've sent me some songs.
00:01:16.100 So I'll feature a few of those on the channel as well.
00:01:18.440 And if you do want to proclaim your support for the independence movement, you can always do a short video.
00:01:24.380 Keep it short. Drop it into iCloud, Google Drive, or Dropbox.
00:01:28.060 Send me the link at johnboltonab at gmail.com.
00:01:31.860 Something else that's new this week is a new website that you'll want to go to.
00:01:35.440 Great graphics here. It's stayfreealberta.com.
00:01:39.900 And you can find out pretty much what you need to know about the independence movement moving forward.
00:01:44.780 They haven't included events that are happening here.
00:01:47.240 Although I can tell you places that they've listed on here to sign the petition are generally where the Alberta Prosperity Project is having events.
00:01:56.200 So if we go over to the petition page here, it says sign the petition.
00:02:00.820 You've also got links to become a canvasser.
00:02:03.080 They're always looking for more people to go out and get signatures or you can donate.
00:02:08.640 And believe me, they're going to need money because the other side is going to pour a lot of money in to keeping Alberta in Canada because they want to keep our money in Canada.
00:02:17.860 So let's go down here and just take a look at a few of the places that you can currently or you will be able to sign as of January the 6th.
00:02:25.620 And as it says at the top, this list will eventually be made searchable by date and city town.
00:02:31.580 So all of these places, you'll be able to sign a petition.
00:02:35.260 And generally, this is where they're having an Alberta Prosperity Project event.
00:02:39.300 So we're looking at Mountain View, Water Valley, Lacombe County, Didsbury, also West Rose, Bicycle, Edmonton, Vulcan, Fort McMurray, Bentley, Eckville, Red Deer, James River Bridge, Fox Creek, Grand Prairie, Heith, Fort Saskatchewan, Edson, Calgary on the big event on the 26th at the BMO Center.
00:03:02.260 We're expecting 6,500 people there.
00:03:04.540 Blairmore and Pincher Creek as well.
00:03:06.980 Now, if you'd like to become a canvasser, go over to the website again, stayfreealberta.com.
00:03:12.420 All the information you need to get signatures is here.
00:03:15.760 You have to sign up and be registered as a canvasser or it does not count.
00:03:21.480 Keep that in mind.
00:03:22.700 Also, there's a page here.
00:03:24.360 If you'd like to make a donation, again, they're going to need money for this moving forward.
00:03:30.260 If we want independence, they're going to need some money.
00:03:32.720 And keep in mind that people working for the Alberta Prosperity Project are not collecting a salary.
00:03:38.480 Now, some of the events that are coming up, this is albertaprosperity.com.
00:03:42.760 And again, at these events, there will be petitions available.
00:03:46.800 And most of these places I just told you about a moment ago, these are all Alberta Prosperity Project events.
00:03:54.300 And keep in mind, some of these, you have to RSVB to them.
00:03:57.640 And you can see there's a lot more than there were just last week.
00:04:00.340 A lot more.
00:04:01.220 Wait for this to load up.
00:04:02.300 They always want me to verify.
00:04:04.820 Here we go.
00:04:05.560 So, if you go to albertaprosperity.com and you see RSVP beside it, be sure to do that.
00:04:14.180 You'll see one in Fort Saskatchewan here, one in Calgary at the BMO Center.
00:04:18.460 Be sure to RSVP for that.
00:04:20.540 That's going to be a biggie.
00:04:22.180 And you'll want to get in on that one with 6,500 people there.
00:04:25.240 And there's a few more events coming up as well.
00:04:27.640 Now, here is an event that I'm going to be at.
00:04:29.580 I'm excited about this.
00:04:30.680 This is coming up on the 10th.
00:04:34.320 And this is who's going to be there.
00:04:36.120 You've got Corey Morgan from the Western Standard.
00:04:38.900 You've got Eva Chipiak, Dennis Kelma.
00:04:41.080 Again, I just mentioned Dennis.
00:04:42.340 He wrote this.
00:04:43.340 And I'll be there as sort of a MC moderator at the event.
00:04:48.220 And here's where it's happening at the Queensland Community Center at 7 o'clock.
00:04:51.820 First come, first serve.
00:04:52.740 Keep in mind, and we'll go back over to this graphic again,
00:04:55.600 that Max over at Freedom Calendar will be live streaming this.
00:04:59.900 If you can't make it to the event.
00:05:01.800 And the interesting thing about this event is that there will be a panel discussion.
00:05:05.740 So you'll be able to ask questions of these three people you see on the screen there.
00:05:09.820 And if you've got any concerns about the independence movement,
00:05:12.780 you should have them answered.
00:05:14.040 But we're going to look at some major issues that we hear about all the time.
00:05:18.040 Treaties, Alberta being landlocked, being another one.
00:05:21.660 What happens after an independence vote?
00:05:24.460 And we vote yes the day after.
00:05:26.460 What's going to happen?
00:05:27.140 And so some of these things will be discussed among others,
00:05:29.960 and you'll have an opportunity to ask some questions.
00:05:32.920 And then, of course, there's that big event I told you about at the BMO Center,
00:05:37.120 7 o'clock on Monday, January 26th.
00:05:40.020 RSVP for this one.
00:05:41.200 It is going to be a huge event.
00:05:42.880 I'm really looking forward to that one.
00:05:45.140 Now, let me reload all of my tabs here because I want to talk about some of the things that
00:05:50.200 you've been sending me.
00:05:51.280 It's outstanding.
00:05:52.220 Keep them coming to me.
00:05:53.760 JohnBoltonAB at gmail.com.
00:05:55.400 And then we'll have a short little segment with Dennis Kalma.
00:05:58.420 And you can find out how much more money you're going to be making when we have Alberta independence.
00:06:03.160 Can't you see the cracks are showing?
00:06:06.900 Can't you feel the anger growing?
00:06:09.900 Oh, Alberta.
00:06:12.620 Oh, Alberta.
00:06:15.160 Where do we go?
00:06:20.980 Jobs are lost and dreams are fading.
00:06:27.340 Prices climb while hope's degrading.
00:06:32.200 A land of plenty and he had nothing to share.
00:06:40.520 What did you think of that segue?
00:06:42.600 That was actually the video that's on the Stay Free Alberta website.
00:06:46.600 And that song is called Alberta's Cry.
00:06:49.140 It was sent to me at johnboltonab at gmail.com by Bob.
00:06:53.000 He sent me three songs.
00:06:54.020 Bob, thanks so much.
00:06:55.620 I think that's the best of the three.
00:06:58.000 But it's amazing what you can do with AI these days.
00:07:00.820 It wasn't too long ago I did a video.
00:07:02.900 It's on my channel.
00:07:04.520 It's called We Are Alberta.
00:07:05.940 And it's just a rockin' good song.
00:07:08.120 Thanks, Bob, for sending that to me.
00:07:10.220 We'll have that interview with Dennis Kalma, the co-writer of The Value of Freedom.
00:07:14.540 Or actually a segment of it for you in just a moment to tell you how you will benefit from independence.
00:07:19.480 So if you haven't seen that, be sure to check it out in just a moment.
00:07:22.200 But let's take a look at a few of the other things that were sent to me as well.
00:07:25.320 Robert sent this to me.
00:07:26.440 And I have not seen a flag quite like this one.
00:07:29.740 But I love it, Robert.
00:07:31.040 And this is a hand pulling back the Canadian flag to reveal the Alberta flag.
00:07:37.580 And I absolutely love it.
00:07:39.480 Robert, if you could send me the link, maybe I'll share it on the independence calendar next week.
00:07:43.600 Thanks so much for sharing that with me.
00:07:45.640 Also, you may know Wade.
00:07:46.940 He's kind of a legend.
00:07:48.520 He's big into Alberta independence.
00:07:50.340 He's got this mobile sign here.
00:07:52.620 And here it is right here.
00:07:54.180 Vote yes, Alberta independence out in the snow there with the Alberta flags on the side.
00:07:58.600 Thanks so much for putting that up.
00:08:00.320 Now, Doug Krohn.
00:08:01.360 Doug, thanks for sending me an email on this.
00:08:03.920 I mentioned this earlier when it came to events that are coming up.
00:08:07.240 But he did send me these graphics.
00:08:09.240 There is an event coming up for the Alberta Independence Town Hall on Tuesday, January 27th in Blairmore.
00:08:15.920 And then in Pinscher Creek as well, Wednesday, January 28th.
00:08:19.700 Both of those happening at 7 o'clock.
00:08:21.660 Now, I did receive an email at johnboltonab at gmail.com from somebody who vacations in Mexico.
00:08:31.520 And maybe a heads up to the people at the Alberta Prosperity Project.
00:08:34.860 And maybe what I'll do as well is I'll let them know about this.
00:08:39.040 There are a lot of people that spend winter down south.
00:08:42.980 And they're not near Canada and don't have access to a petition.
00:08:47.320 And there are thousands of people who do this.
00:08:49.440 And some of them may want to sign a petition.
00:08:51.480 So if you're vacationing in Mexico or you're out of the country and you know where there's some other Albertans that may want to sign a petition,
00:08:58.740 you might want to register as a canvasser and get your hands on a petition.
00:09:03.260 You might want to contact the Alberta Prosperity Project about that.
00:09:06.040 We want to get as many people as possible signing.
00:09:08.760 As many people signing these petitions as possible.
00:09:11.860 So that's something to think about as well.
00:09:14.600 Now, what I want to do is show you a segment of a great interview I did with Dennis Kalma.
00:09:20.480 Dennis is currently writing the Constitution for Alberta as well.
00:09:23.960 But he co-wrote this, The Cost-It-Out Plan for Alberta Independence.
00:09:27.700 And I took a short segment of it.
00:09:29.220 I want you to watch a little bit of it.
00:09:31.260 You can watch the whole video, a card at the end of this one.
00:09:34.160 So you can just click on it and watch the whole thing.
00:09:36.760 But this will show you how Alberta and you will benefit from Alberta independence.
00:09:42.480 How much is Alberta contributing to Canada annually?
00:09:46.020 I hear conflicting numbers there.
00:09:47.640 I'm talking about federal tax contributions.
00:09:50.020 Yeah.
00:09:50.600 Well, I mean, if you take the total amount we give to the feds.
00:09:54.760 Now, this includes personal income tax, corporate income tax, you know, excise taxes, duties, all that kind of stuff.
00:10:00.660 But it's on the order of around $70 billion per year.
00:10:04.680 That's the amount that goes in.
00:10:06.640 And in addition to that, of course, you have the provincial taxation that occurs.
00:10:10.120 And the total of those two numbers is about $140 to $145 billion a year.
00:10:15.760 So we would basically, if we vote for independence and we go through the process of negotiating that,
00:10:22.480 we would be able to keep $70 billion in the province?
00:10:25.480 Is that a correct assessment?
00:10:27.100 Well, we made some pretty simplistic assumptions.
00:10:29.040 We said, we're not going to get any real improvement in efficiency by getting rid of the feds, as it were.
00:10:35.140 We said, look, the province will operate as it does, still doing education, still doing health care, all that kind of good stuff.
00:10:41.200 And so we'll leave their budget essentially untouched.
00:10:43.960 Then we said, we have to add in the services that the federal government gives to us.
00:10:48.240 They do military.
00:10:49.300 They do indigenous.
00:10:50.640 They do all those kinds of things.
00:10:51.980 It's about eight or nine items in total.
00:10:54.140 We said, OK, we have to replace that.
00:10:55.560 That's on the order of $24, $25 billion a year.
00:10:59.300 So we've got to take that off the total.
00:11:00.980 When you do that simple math, you get down to saying, well, what we're going to be left over with, the money we give to Canada now, is between $23 and $45 billion a year.
00:11:11.080 So, you know, you say, at least we'll have $23 billion more tax dollars that actually is available for the government to do something with.
00:11:21.280 Now, the question I get on occasion and what people say, and some people for the Forever Canadian campaign are saying, is that if Alberta leaves and this idea and talk about independence is putting a chilling effect on investment.
00:11:37.360 Now, you're talking about the amount of money we'll have left over if Alberta leaves.
00:11:42.020 What are your thoughts on that?
00:11:43.500 And how would you counter a question like that, Dennis?
00:11:45.980 Well, since this is already collected tax revenue, and it's coming off your paycheck now, so to speak.
00:11:52.960 Literally, it means on day one, we can give that excess money back at least $23 billion a year, essentially not collective.
00:12:02.580 We just leave it in your pocket, reduce the tax rate.
00:12:05.640 And that's where the key element comes in.
00:12:08.360 On day one, corporate income tax, personal income tax will go down at least around 25% per year.
00:12:15.620 So that's just the low case.
00:12:18.100 And we sort of took that very simplistically.
00:12:20.380 So you think, well, I'm an investor.
00:12:22.200 I'm a big businessman, small businessman.
00:12:25.060 And you tell me, oh, independent Alberta.
00:12:28.280 Now, my tax bill goes down by at least a quarter, day one.
00:12:33.140 Why would I leave?
00:12:34.240 And why wouldn't people want to come here?
00:12:37.260 You'd have to be beating them off with a stick, wouldn't you?
00:12:39.900 I mean, that's why part of the reason why we wrote the immigration policy is because we said, look, we're going to have the reverse problem.
00:12:46.900 Yeah, there's some instability while the negotiations occur.
00:12:50.140 But practically speaking, when people say, hey, lower tax regime, looks like smaller regulatory regime, how do we get into here to make some money?
00:13:00.500 That's where we really need a good immigration policy.
00:13:02.680 Would you, so you're saying, so you're saying that income tax could drop by on a minimum of 25% for Albertans if we vote yes and independence?
00:13:14.220 Well, remember that big, that band we said, we have left over between $23 and $40 billion per year.
00:13:20.480 Yeah, yeah.
00:13:21.020 We said, okay, we did a very simplistic thing.
00:13:23.640 We said, all right, we're just going to pretend corporate and personal taxes are all mushed together.
00:13:29.200 It represents a tax load to use a citizen bear.
00:13:32.400 Either you're paying a corporation who pays tax or it's off your own income.
00:13:36.560 We said, okay, at the absolute worst case, we could just get rid of provincial income and corporate taxes.
00:13:42.620 Take it right off the bill.
00:13:44.480 You know, I'm just, go ahead, I'm sorry.
00:13:46.860 Go ahead.
00:13:47.080 And that's the low end.
00:13:48.460 The high end is we take all the federal taxes off.
00:13:52.400 Which could be up to, what percentage do you figure?
00:13:54.400 Around 45, 45 to 50%.
00:13:56.820 What would this mean for Alberta?
00:13:58.480 I mean, if we get independence when we're able to stop giving the money we're giving to Ottawa right now and develop our resources like we wish we could right now, where would Alberta stand when it comes to economies around the world?
00:14:13.360 So right now, our GDP per person is around the same as Austria and Germany, rough numbers, 50,000 bucks per person.
00:14:21.580 And that's high, isn't it?
00:14:22.440 We actually contribute a disproportionate amount per capita to Canada because we have a small population, but give a lot of money, don't we?
00:14:29.460 Exactly.
00:14:30.220 Yeah.
00:14:30.480 That's pretty high.
00:14:31.260 We're a pretty wealthy province, soon to be nation.
00:14:35.180 If you start adding in two or three pipelines to what we speculated in the future-looking section of the document, we'll also have an extra $40 to $60 billion per year coming into the province.
00:14:48.780 And probably our GDP would start approaching place per capita, would approach the top end, the Dubais and Qataris of the world.
00:14:57.620 So, I mean, all of a sudden you have a very wealthy country, and in that scenario you can say, well, we can do a bunch of good stuff.
00:15:04.320 We can get rid of personal income taxes entirely.
00:15:07.200 We can get rid of property taxes entirely.
00:15:10.040 We can reduce corporate tax to a flat 10%.
00:15:12.920 All those kind of things are well within financial range.
00:15:15.880 Click the card at the end to watch the whole video.
00:15:19.360 All kinds of great information in there.
00:15:21.380 And some of the questions you may have about independence are answered as well.
00:15:26.520 Thank you very much for watching.
00:15:27.900 I do want to remind you once again about the event coming up with Corey Morgan, Eva Chipiak, Dennis Kalma, and myself.
00:15:33.820 This will be live streamed by freedomcalendar.net.
00:15:37.460 Link in the description.
00:15:38.740 Thanks to Max for doing that for us.
00:15:40.420 And this will be happening at the Queensland Community Center, 7 o'clock on January 10th.
00:15:45.600 There will be a question and answer period.
00:15:47.360 It's going to be unlike other town halls we've had, so be sure to check that out.
00:15:51.380 And go over to stayfreealberta.com, sign the petition, become a canvasser, donate to the cause.
00:15:58.980 Alberta Independence is just around the corner.
00:16:01.360 Thanks for watching.
00:16:02.420 I will see you next week on the next Independence Calendar.
00:16:05.720 Have a good week.
00:16:06.520 I'll see you in the next one.