Independence Calendar Episode #9 - February 1st, 2026
Episode Stats
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Summary
In this episode, we talk about the Big Four in Calgary, how and where to sign a petition, and the backlash against the independence movement in Alberta and outside the province. Also, an interview with Mitch Sylvester from Stay Free Alberta.
Transcript
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Hi, it's John, and welcome to the Independence Calendar for Sunday, February the 1st. This
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is Episode 9, and boy, have we ever got a great Independence Calendar for you this week. I want
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to get right into it because there's so much stuff to go through. So what are we going to
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talk about this week? We'll talk a little bit about the Big Four, the big event here in Calgary
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on Monday night. How and where to sign a petition has just gotten so much easier, and my God,
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there are so many places to sign petitions. We'll get into that in just a moment. Also,
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I want to talk a little bit about the backlash, the way people are talking about people in the
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independence movement from Alberta and outside the province, our response to the insults. That's
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coming up. It's the only thing I want to focus on that might be considered a little negative
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because there's a lot positive going on. Also, I'm going to talk a little bit about the people
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who live outside the province who want to help out with the independence movement. I have got some
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amazing submissions for you. 27 of them this week. Keep them coming. JohnBoltonAB at gmail.com. Videos,
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pictures, flags, banners, anything to do with Alberta independence. They're terrific this week as well.
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Also, I've got an interview with Mitch Sylvester from Stay Free Alberta. I spoke to him right after the
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big event last Monday night at the Big Four here in Calgary. Watch until the end because Alberta
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independence has gone global. You're going to love how I'm ending the video today. It's just
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terrific, so stay tuned for that. The Big Four, I was there on Monday night, and it was a great
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honor to be there with 4,000 to 5,000 people. Just a few of the pictures that I took from the Big Four
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on Monday night. Jeff Rath was speaking. Mitch Sylvester, of course. Eva Chipiak will feature
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a little bit of a video from Eva in just a couple of minutes. She was wonderful as well. And a big
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shout out to Derek Smith from Unacceptable Fringe, who was the emcee for the event. All of these people
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really enjoyed their evening, and I had a chance to talk to so many of you at the Big Four here in
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Calgary. People asked me my favorite part of the event, and it was talking to literally hundreds
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of people and shaking your hand, so thanks very much for that. Now, in recent weeks, the calendar
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has been about telling you where events are, and just recently has become more about telling you where
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petitions are. I received more email in this past week than probably the previous weeks combined,
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so at johnboltonabgmail.com. Lots of email coming out. Fewer people asking about petition signing
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locations, and that's really good news. There's so many out there right now, but if you're trying
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to find one, it's gotten easier, all right? It's real easy now. Let's go over to stayfreealberta.com.
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That's where to find out all the information you need to know. You can become a canvasser. I am one.
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I'll tell you about how I might be getting an event here in Southeast Calgary together real soon.
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Also, you can donate more on that in just a moment, and you can request to sign the petition,
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but now you've got this easy way to find signing locations, because now you can search by
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municipality. For instance, if we want to find Fort, we put in there. We get Fort McLeod. We get Fort
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McMurray. We get Fort Saskatchewan. How about Bicycle? There's one happening in Bicycle as well.
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How about Edmonton? And there are a bunch of signing places in Edmonton, and if you go back to the very
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beginning, you'll see that all of these places are petition signing places. Now, it's really quite
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extraordinary, and of course, absolutely impossible. Let me scroll through these. Impossible to get to
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all of them on the calendar. So, go to stayfreealberta.com and find out where these are
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happening, and you can get all your information there. So, I don't want to be negative here on
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the calendar, but I want to address something that has become more prevalent this week. If you're part of
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the independence movement, you may have been hearing these things. If you're on social media,
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I would suggest you stay off of it. It's a sewer, okay? But I don't go there very often,
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but you're probably getting or seeing the same thing I'm seeing. Earlier this week, David Eby,
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B.C. Premier, said that the leaders of the independence movement here in Alberta are
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traders, and that everybody jumped on board, and they've been piling on. And they're calling
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anybody who wants Alberta independence a trader these days.
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At the event on Monday night at the Big Four, everybody was great, but I really enjoyed Eva
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Chipiak's speech, and I'd heard Eva's speech before. She got a standing ovation, and it was at the event
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that happened on January the 10th at the Queensland Community Center here in Southeast Calgary.
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I was the emcee of the event. Corey Morgan was there as well from the Western Standard.
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Dennis Kalma, who wrote The Value of Freedom, he was there as well, and Eva spoke. She was
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outstanding, and she addressed this issue. So a very short segment from Eva from January the 10th.
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Enough with the games. We are tired of being told to sit down and shut up. We are done with that.
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Self-determination is not radical. Democratic participation is not dangerous.
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Asking a question is not treason. An informed, engaged citizenry is not a threat to democracy.
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Eva Chipiak is terrific. Again, she got a standing ovation that night at the Queensland Community
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Center when she said that. I'm working on getting her here for an interview on the channel, but she is
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very busy. And certainly, I will feature a segment on an upcoming independence calendar if I get to
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talk to her. But if somebody comes up to you and starts yelling at you or is mad at you, just turn
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around and walk away. They're really not worth our time. And you're not a traitor. All you want is
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something better for your family and for your province, soon-to-be country of Alberta. Now, I do get a lot of
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email in with questions. I try to read them as much as possible. I got this one in. I wanted to
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address this from Mark, who lives in BC. He says he's got an Alberta birth certificate. He worked in
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Alberta for his whole career. And he had a question for me. My question to you is, how can I be involved
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in the independence movement? And he says, bottom line, it's been a dream of mine to see Alberta
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independence. And should that occur, I will be putting a for sale sign up immediately and moving back
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home to Alberta. But if you live in Alberta, and your residence is in Alberta, you can't sign a
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petition and you won't be able to vote in a referendum. How can you help? I got back to Mark
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and I said, if you live in BC, you can't sign the petition, but you can donate to the cause.
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They really need money to promote the signature campaign moving forward and promote the referendum.
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If you have the means, go to stayfreealberta.com and make a donation. So they do need some money.
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If you can make a donation, if you have the means, please do that as well.
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One other thing before I get to the viewer submissions this week, I got an email in,
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johnboltonab at gmail.com from Austin, who lives near me. It says, hi, John, I was wanting to throw
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an idea out there to you. I am in New Brighton, which is not too far from where I live here in
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South East Calgary. I am a canvasser as well. Would you want to set up together and possibly with
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other canvassers to take signatures in the McKenzie Town, Prestwick, Copperfield, New Brighton area?
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Let me know your thoughts. And I said, you're darn right I want to do this.
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Dennis Kalma, who was at the event at the Queensland Community Centre on the 10th with me,
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he's a canvasser as well. He said he'd be happy to go out and do something like this.
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I'm working on something like this in South East Calgary. I think I want to get the town hall we have
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here in McKenzie Town, where I live, and set up some tables so people can sign petitions.
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If you live in the area and want to be part of this, send me an email, johnboltonab at gmail.com,
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put as the title, I want to help. I want to help so I find it quickly. And then what I want to do is
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maybe have everybody pitch in a couple of bucks because it does cost some money to rent the room
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for the day. And I don't want to incur all of that cost myself. Austin said, be happy to pitch in some
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money and it would only be a very small amount. So if you want to want to be part of that, get in
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touch with me and we can all sit down and have a petition signing right down here in South East
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Calgary. I want to help do that. That would be terrific. Now let's check out your viewer submissions
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this week. They're absolutely amazing. Keep them coming. A long list today, but look for yours. And if
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you have any great pictures, you have any great videos, you have anything to do with Alberta
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independence, get in touch. So let's check them out for this week. This is my favorite part of the
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calendar where I get to look at the stuff that you sent me and boy, did I get a lot of stuff this
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week. Keep them coming. I got 27 to go through here. So let's get to them and not waste any more
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time. Let's start off with Louise. Louise with her, we're done. Alberta first flags. Louise,
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I just like to say, I read your message. I am sorry for your loss. Thank you for fighting hard
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for the independence movement. Your husband would be proud. Donald here with a beautiful Alberta flag
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on his house. Thank you very much, Donald. Three pictures from Neil with an Alberta t-shirt that he
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got from the unacceptable fringe. Also with his ranch decked out in Alberta blue and with, this is pretty
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cool, the Republic of Alberta passport. Thanks to River's Edge 3008, sent a good one in last week.
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Here's a petition signing lineup in Grand Prairie. Thanks River. Keep them coming. Looks like a great
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turnout there, just like it has been all over the province. Chris with his sign in Spruce Grove at a
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petition signing, which was very busy. And he's been handing out these as well. Great job to Chris.
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Thanks for working hard for the movement. Cheryl and her Faith, Family and Freedom shirt. Out getting
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some exercise. Well done to Cheryl here. We've got Jocelyn's flag. She's a regional leader in Edmonton.
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Thank you so much, Jocelyn, for your submission. A couple here from Dawn. Dawn in Edmonton with a
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sovereignty banner in Ottawa. Check out this video. This is terrific.
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What do you guys think about Alberta leaving Canada? Got any thoughts on that?
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I'll be okay. And I'd move to Alberta. All right. That's what we want to hear, buddy. Right on. Thank
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you very much. People must have been wondering what the hell was going on when they saw that sign on
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the fence there in Ottawa. Thanks, Dawn, for that. That's terrific. Thanks for this one as well. The
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Alberta banner under the Welcome to Alberta sign. Terrific. And some stickers as well. Dawn,
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thanks for all the stuff you sent. I'll look for more in the future. Paul in his Alberta
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independence truck in Edmonton. It was nice meeting you at the Big Four on Monday night. I'd had such a
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great time meeting all the nice people. Christian and his flags. One's Alberta and the other one says
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F. I think it says Trudeau. So Christian, you need to update your flag to say Kearney, but thanks for
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sending that. Rosalie in Biceker. She was in Biceker on January the 8th. They had seating for 300
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and she estimated 100 people were standing. So a very successful event there. Dennis in Medicine
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Hat. Check this out. Looks like grain elevators here. A couple of pics from that. Thanks for
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putting the sign up on the grain elevators. Mark from his mobile signing station. He says he's
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originally from Ontario. You know, Mark, I'm from Ontario as well. I've never heard it called that
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before, but I will use that in the future. And here is Al Burton, the most Albertan man. I was talking
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to him at the Big Four. Here he is with me and Derek from Unacceptable Fringe. Great picture.
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Great to talk to you, Al. And I hope to have you on the channel soon. Moshe had a Medicine Hat
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signing. Three different pics for you here. And like everywhere across the province, these things
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are so successful. I featured James with his Alberta tattoo last week on the channel, which I thought was
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really going above and beyond. But check out the video here, James. Thanks for sending that in. I do
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appreciate it. We also got this from Chris and Dawn with Alberta Sovereignty Now pics. Three different
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pics. If you have a picture outside your house or anywhere on your property or you're putting them
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up anywhere, you've got anything that's got the Alberta flag on it, I'd love to see them send them
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to the channel. And Evan with a pic from the Big Four. Everybody had a lot of fun there. Thanks to Evan
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for your picture. This is me and Jack at the Big Four. Thanks. Shelly probably took the picture. It was nice
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meeting you as well, Jack. Here's Lee who sent in these three pictures as well, fighting hard for the
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Alberta independence movement. Russ at the Big Four as well with the Alberta Republic t-shirt. Thanks a lot for
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that, Russ. And Dallas with his Alberta prosperity banner. I hope I didn't go through those too quickly. But
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thanks for everything you sent in to me. I do appreciate it. And if I didn't get to your picture, I might have
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missed it. So if I missed it this week, send it to me again and I'll try to get it on next week. And
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remember, I can't respond to all of your messages. I try to read them all. And generally, if I do get
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back to you, they're very short messages because I got more than 200 email in this last week alone.
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John Bolton, ab at gmail.com is the place to send your stuff. Now let's hear from Mitch Sylvester. He's
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the reason why we have the petition signing campaign right now from Stay Free Alberta. I spoke to him
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right after the big event last Monday at the Big Four here in Calgary.
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And the big event is over tonight here at the Big Four. And I think we're going to end it with the
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big guy. Mitch Sylvester is with us from Stay Free Alberta. Mitch, this is a remarkable place to come.
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I've never been in this building before. It was a remarkable evening, packed all the way, all of the
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seats. Let me just turn around here. All of these seats were full and there's the same amount of
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seats at the other end of this building. Your thoughts on what happened tonight?
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Well, I was expecting this, honestly. With all the momentum we've had, I thought that we would fill
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the room. I was actually concerned that the room wasn't big enough. Honest to God, I'm not even
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kidding. Right. So, you know what? We talked about it. The fire marshals warned us they weren't going to
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let so many people in the room. And I believe that's what happened. We turned people away.
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Yeah. Earlier today, around 11 o'clock, I was seeing pictures show up on X of the lineup
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outside to sign the petition. And I was here. And I was sitting at my house and I thought,
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I got to go down there. And I got in my car. I got here about two o'clock and people were still
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coming in. And I heard that there were something like 800 or more people that went through in just
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a little over an hour. And it was steady all day long. The petition campaign, you know, I was part
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of an event on January 10th and that was the night we started seeing pictures of lineups. And it's been
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like that every night since then. You've got to be just thrilled the way things are going.
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Well, you know, it's kind of a surprise. I thought we would have to work harder than this,
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but it's a really good problem. I'm really, really happy that people are coming. And so we're just
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going to try and get in front of them and give them places to sign. And you know what? We've got
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3,000 campuses ready to go now, so we can absolutely get that moving. And you know what? We're just
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going to give everybody the opportunity to sign and help us out and become a free and independent
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country. I got my badge. Good. I applied for it back on January 4th. It took almost three weeks to come
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to my house. So there's still some people out there waiting for them right now. I'm hoping
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to have a signing event in my community. Dennis Kalmas said he might come down and help out.
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We've got other people who want to go down there and we're going to set up a big area
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Well, how are you feeling? I mean, I feel good. I'm really happy about this. You know,
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an event like this of this magnitude is stressful. And you know, at 630 when the rooms were filling
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up and you know, it makes it all worthwhile. And then we get the opportunity to grow what we do
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here by actually asking people to, you know, take action and help us out and help themselves out
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basically. And you know what? I think we may have signed another six or 800 or 1,000 canvassers
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tonight and that was the goal. Yeah. I'm amazed at how this thing is going right now. And you know,
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there were times I think back in the summertime, you go through the dog days of summer and you're
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thinking, is this really going to fly? But I just think we're going to win this thing now.
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Well, you know what? Let's be cautiously optimistic. Let's work really hard. Let's work every single
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day and get it to the back. And then, you know what? We'll know. And you know, we have the
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opportunity to do something that's never been done in Canada. And you know what? I think it's
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going to be great for Albertans. Really, I do. And the thing I saw tonight, just the last question or
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the last statement is that I saw people of all ages here tonight. I saw people bringing their
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families here tonight. I interviewed people. I interviewed a young man who came here from
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China. And he came here 15 years ago to be a Canadian. And he now wants to just be an
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Albertan because he's seeing things happening in Canada that he saw.
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Well, and that's the big fear, right? That's our biggest problem. Our biggest problem is we're
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very concerned with our lifestyle being absolutely changed. And Mr. Carney has actually made it
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very clear that that is exactly what he's going to do with the new world order. How much clearer
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can it be than that? So they're telling us what they're doing. So we just have to accept that
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we're going to be on this side of that or that side of that. And it's plain and simple. The choices
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are simple. Somebody said to me, well, how are you going to talk to the people that are going to
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support you? I says, well, here's the way I see this. I see this, that we're going to become the
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new world order or we're going to go back to being what we were. That seems to me to be the choices.
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Right. And I'm not all about the new world order. I know what we were. I like that a lot.
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Yeah. So the new world order doesn't work in my world. So that's kind of why we're working so
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hard. Congratulations. Well, thanks, John. Thanks for your interview and thanks for everything you
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do for us. Well, it's my pleasure. Just to be a small part of this is wonderful, but to be a part
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of an event like this is terrific. It's fun, isn't it? It really is. You know, I feel like I'm with
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friends here. Yeah, that's exactly correct. That's what the whole thing with all these events are for.
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People understand that they're part of a group of like-minded people that think and have the
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same ambitions and goals as they have. And it empowers people. And that's why our events are
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getting bigger and bigger and bigger. And that's why people are lining up. Because people want to
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be part of it. And they're very happy to do it. And they're not happy with the circumstance.
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And so, you know, it's a perfect story. And thanks to Mitch for giving up a bit of his time. He's a very
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busy man. It's always a pleasure to talk to him. I'm sure I'll have him on the channel again real
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soon. By the way, if you are arranging an event when it comes to independence, let me know about
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it. Maybe I'll interview you. And you can be on the independence calendar and keep your submissions
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coming. I want to see more and more of them all the time. JohnBoltonAB at gmail.com.
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I want to end with something kind of special today. I recorded the viewer submission segment as its own
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video today because I got so many of them. And right after I finished it, I got an email in
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that was written in French, thinking that it was coming from Quebec. Now, I want you to know,
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folks, that the independence movement is worldwide. This is a global phenomenon now.
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I got an email in from this man here. And it was in French. And I had it translated. And I have
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edited his email. I think you're going to love this. It says, Dear John, it's a real pleasure to watch
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your videos. We admire and support your efforts to liberate Alberta from the deadly grip of Canada.
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My name is Vincent, married to Deborah. I have two children. He is from the Vendille region of France.
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And he goes on to say he's being hammered with taxes there. He says, A year ago, we started the
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process of relocating to Alberta. And check out his mug. This is great. The photo I'm sharing with you
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is from my birthday morning, a gift from my family, a pretty mug for coffee. It really helps me get
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through a hard day's work. Faith, family, freedom, Alberta. Love it. Thank you for your videos. Thank
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you for your dedication to Alberta's independence. And who knows, maybe one day we'll have the pleasure
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of meeting in person. Well, Vince, thank you so much. All the best to you and your family. If you're
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ever in Calgary, if you're ever living in Calgary, you get in touch with me and we will raise our mugs
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together and we will drink to Alberta's independence. Thank you so much for contacting me.
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Again, if you want to get in touch, johnboltonab at gmail.com. I appreciate you watching. If you
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like the video, give it a thumbs up, subscribe to the channel, ring the bell for notifications.
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I'll see you on the next independence calendar.