PJ The Belt - June 26, 2025


Alberta LEAVES Canada？ - New Update! A Chat With APP CEO, Mitch Sylvestre - Independence Referendum

Topics
independence referendum first 30 days to 100 gun rights
Mentioned
Mitch Sylvester Danielle Smith Angus Reid
ALBERTA INDEPENDENCE RALLY - BONNYVILLE ｜ ALBERTA PROSPERITY PROJECT - June 23 2025 Why Alberta's LEAVING Canada - Update! INDEPENDENCE Over Decades of Abuse ｜ Dr. Michael Wagner

Episode Stats


Length

9 minutes

Words per minute

184.05

Word count

1,796

Sentence count

147


Summary

Summaries generated with gmurro/bart-large-finetuned-filtered-spotify-podcast-summ .

In this episode, I speak with Mitch Sylvester, CEO of the Alberta Prosperity Project, about the upcoming referendum on Alberta's independence from Canada in the spring of 2026. We talk about a variety of topics, including: 1. What would Alberta look like on day 1 after becoming independent from Canada? 2. What is the first 30-90-100 days look like after Alberta becomes independent? 3. What are the challenges facing Alberta? 4. Is there a figurehead or leader for the movement? 5. What does it mean to be an independent country?

Transcript

Transcript generated with Whisper (turbo).
Topics generated with Qwen2.5-3B-Instruct.
Hosts, guests, and mentioned names generated with spaCy (en_core_web_sm), reconciled against Wikidata.
00:00:00.000 For the average working-class Albertan, how would their day-to-day life change for the better?
00:00:07.520 Salaries, taxes, affordability, general freedom, gun laws, gun rights, property rights.
00:00:13.900 What does it look like for your average Albertan?
00:00:16.620 So, as far as I'm concerned, gun rights are going to be the same as the U.S.
00:00:24.620 Okay, so the other night we traveled to Bonneville, a small town in northeastern Alberta,
00:00:29.120 to attend an independence rally.
00:00:31.480 The event happened earlier this week, and it was hosted by the Alberta Prosperity Project,
00:00:36.100 which is an after-profit organization leading the effort to have an independence referendum in the spring of 2026.
00:00:42.460 I was impressed with the amount of people who showed up for a small town on a Monday evening.
00:00:47.240 There must have been at least 400 people in there by the time the event started.
00:00:51.240 After the rally, I had a chance to speak with Mitch Sylvester for a couple of minutes.
00:00:55.800 He's the CEO of the Alberta Prosperity Project, and I asked him some of the questions that I've read in the comments from this channel.
00:01:02.500 Now, this was my first on-camera interview, so please bear with me.
00:01:05.600 All right, so we're here with Mitch Sylvester, CEO of Alberta Prosperity Project.
00:01:14.280 You guys have to bear with me.
00:01:15.500 This is my first time interviewing people, okay?
00:01:17.320 I'm a podcaster, not an interviewer.
00:01:19.180 But anyway, we have five questions here that are asked by my subscribers that have to do with Alberta independence.
00:01:24.980 The first one is, what does Alberta look like on day one after it becomes independent from Canada?
00:01:31.540 Would there be a constitution? What would it look like generally on day one after it becomes independent?
00:01:37.120 I think we're going to have a constitutional conference, and on day one, I think that's the most important thing to do.
00:01:40.940 Get the people of Alberta to weigh in on what's going to happen.
00:01:43.880 The government has to understand that everything is going to change, and that's our path at any rate.
00:01:51.260 A constitutional conference, good.
00:01:53.600 Yes, and we have a constitution drafted.
00:01:55.540 Awesome, it's already there?
00:01:56.700 It's already there.
00:01:57.340 Got it, let me get that document.
00:01:58.600 And do our rights too.
00:02:00.380 So what we're saying is that, you know, it's a draft.
00:02:04.260 It's going to be up for discussion, and that's the whole point of it.
00:02:06.880 But it's a starting point, so people can say, okay, well, this is what we're going to do, or this is what we hope to do.
00:02:11.820 And this is what we're going to do to ensure your rights and freedoms so we don't go back into the mess that we're in.
00:02:16.820 Awesome.
00:02:17.520 And then part two of that question is, what do the first 30 to 100 days look like?
00:02:22.140 We're talking private sector, public sector, constitutionality, you already touched on that, international efforts, international recognition, military.
00:02:33.040 We're talking once we've already won a referendum.
00:02:35.920 What do the first 30 days to 90 days, 100 days look like?
00:02:40.180 Well, I don't think there's going to be a whole bunch of changes in the first 120, even six months.
00:02:46.180 I mean, there's going to be a process to get all that moving.
00:02:49.100 And if you do that, then what, you know, it's going to take some time.
00:02:53.840 It takes six or eight months.
00:02:54.780 We're not expecting to all of a sudden have everything done.
00:02:57.260 The government that's in power is going to have to help us get to where we're going.
00:03:02.740 And Danielle has said she will respect the results of this referendum.
00:03:07.200 Yep.
00:03:07.420 So she respects the results and she'll be part of the plan going forward to make the changes.
00:03:12.980 So there's a lot of talk about having a figurehead or leader.
00:03:18.080 Does this movement need a specific leader or a face who represents the movement?
00:03:22.460 And have you had anyone come forward of notoriety besides you guys, the three that are leading it?
00:03:27.700 So here's the way this has to work.
00:03:30.720 The people of Alberta have to understand that they have to be the face of this.
00:03:34.940 That is a conscious thing that we're doing.
00:03:37.300 The people have to understand that they lead this.
00:03:39.700 It's for them.
00:03:40.760 And they have to not only lead this, they have to continue to participate in a democracy moving forward.
00:03:46.320 I don't believe that we want a politician of any kind to lead this.
00:03:49.880 None of us are politicians.
00:03:50.980 And I think that's a strong point as far as we're concerned.
00:03:54.600 We don't have any of that kind of stuff.
00:03:56.940 We're not corruptible.
00:03:58.440 And right now, we're actually hoping that the people understand the fact that they have to leave this movement.
00:04:04.020 That's all there is to it.
00:04:05.500 Grassroots.
00:04:05.960 We're going to need them after.
00:04:07.200 This is top down.
00:04:09.800 I'm sorry, bottom up.
00:04:11.540 Bottom up, not top down.
00:04:12.720 Yep, yep, yep.
00:04:14.180 Grassroots led.
00:04:14.960 That's the way to go.
00:04:16.280 Okay, so here's another one for you.
00:04:17.860 And we're almost done.
00:04:18.820 Yep, sure.
00:04:19.240 Many of my YouTube viewers are from the United States and strongly support Alberta independence.
00:04:24.940 They often ask how they can help.
00:04:27.040 As a leader in the movement, yourself, the CEO, what message do you have for our brothers and sisters south of the border?
00:04:33.020 And is there anything they can do to advance the cause from their standpoint?
00:04:37.940 Well, the easiest thing they can do is support us financially.
00:04:43.220 I mean, that would be the best thing.
00:04:45.240 They can't vote.
00:04:46.460 Yeah.
00:04:46.640 And so, as a consequence to that, if they could support us financially, that would help because it's going to help us get the message out.
00:04:53.060 We're absolutely convinced that once people hear this and understand this, that we will win this.
00:04:59.620 Oh, yeah.
00:04:59.860 Because I really believe that there is only one side to this argument.
00:05:03.320 Once they hear the facts.
00:05:05.020 Once they hear the facts.
00:05:06.160 Yeah.
00:05:06.480 This is, it wins itself.
00:05:08.140 And then the last question, what would an independent Alberta look like for the average working class Albertan?
00:05:17.440 How would their day-to-day life change for the better?
00:05:21.560 Salaries, taxes, affordability, general freedom, gun laws, gun rights, property rights.
00:05:27.940 What does it look like for your average Albertan?
00:05:30.560 So, as far as I'm concerned, gun rights are going to be the same as the U.S.
00:05:34.800 Property rights, we're going to try and get property rights, because right now we don't have any.
00:05:40.420 We're assuming and hoping, and it's going to be, we're working on the business plan right now,
00:05:44.740 that we're thinking that Albertans will be 20 to 25 percent richer based on what they're doing right now.
00:05:50.580 And that will give them more purchasing power and a nicer life.
00:05:54.500 Good. Awesome.
00:05:55.480 And moving forward, it could get better.
00:05:57.220 Great things to hear.
00:05:58.360 Great things to hear.
00:05:58.960 Thank you so much, Mitch.
00:05:59.920 Happy for your time.
00:06:00.860 All right.
00:06:01.420 Good to go.
00:06:02.520 Now, during our conversation, Mitch mentioned that a draft of a potential Alberta constitution
00:06:07.720 has already been prepared by the Alberta Prosperity Project,
00:06:11.420 and we can expect to hear more about it in the days ahead.
00:06:14.860 What I appreciate about the APP is that it's a citizen-led initiative.
00:06:19.380 From the volunteers to the leadership, it's made up of everyday Albertans, entrepreneurs, doctors, lawyers,
00:06:27.220 not career politicians.
00:06:29.120 And honestly, that gives the movement more credibility, in my view.
00:06:34.060 At a recent event with Premier Danielle Smith, Mitch had the chance to ask her some direct questions
00:06:40.080 about the provincial government's efforts to advance Alberta's interest.
00:06:43.400 He also brought up some recent polling that shows support for Alberta independence hitting as high as 45%.
00:06:50.240 The Premier responded by referencing polling she had seen showing around 35% ready to vote yes,
00:06:58.180 30% undecided but open to it, and one-third firmly opposed.
00:07:04.080 Let's take a look.
00:07:05.440 Premier, thank you very much.
00:07:06.780 I would like to thank you for coming again, actually.
00:07:10.640 Well, I'd like to thank you for organizing this again.
00:07:13.480 Thank you.
00:07:14.440 Yeah.
00:07:15.420 Now, we were joking about this is the third annual trip that we've had,
00:07:19.180 and I remember the first time I said this was going to be our first annual,
00:07:23.680 and it's turned out to be exactly that.
00:07:26.060 So thank you for lowering the threshold of the Citizens Initiative.
00:07:29.400 Well, and thank you for bringing so many people to the AGM to propose that.
00:07:37.320 We heard loud and clear that it looked like it was legislation that was designed to never be successful,
00:07:43.620 and that really resonated with me.
00:07:45.640 And the fact that in six years we've never seen a petition campaign get started,
00:07:51.040 let alone be successful,
00:07:52.640 I think that people didn't even bother to put a question forward because the bar was so unachievable.
00:07:57.640 So I think that you paved the way with some of the advocacy you did last year as well at the AGM,
00:08:03.040 so thank you for that.
00:08:04.340 So I want to share with everybody in the room that we can trigger a referendum today with the support that we have.
00:08:16.300 The polls are suggesting that up to 44% of Albertans support separation.
00:08:22.220 If that's the case, Premier, what percentage of you think of that would be UCP?
00:08:26.460 There is a poll out by, I think, Angus Reid today.
00:08:30.520 I haven't had a chance to look at it in detail.
00:08:34.380 It has it a little bit lower, still higher than they were expected.
00:08:37.160 It was about 36%, and I think it's, you know, 50-50 when it comes down to UCP voters.
00:08:45.680 Quite a bit lower when it comes to NDP voters.
00:08:49.480 But that's, I think, it wouldn't surprise me in this room if we saw that same kind of split,
00:08:55.360 that there's about a third of people who are ready to go today,
00:08:58.240 a third of people who, well, it doesn't matter what the audible will do,
00:09:01.640 they want to stay part of Canada,
00:09:03.080 and a third that are open to being convinced based on whether or not we see action one way or the other.
00:09:08.240 And so we're just trying to have that conversation.
00:09:11.420 I think it's an important one to have.
00:09:13.040 I fully appreciate why people are fed up after 10 years of being treated the way that we have,
00:09:18.600 knowing especially it's almost all the same cabinet ministers
00:09:21.760 who made these same terrible policies who are still there.
00:09:24.660 I do understand that can be the case.
00:09:26.400 However, I also know that leadership can change direction.
00:09:29.980 I don't know if this particular leader will change direction,
00:09:32.380 but we're going to find out pretty soon.
00:09:34.060 All right.
00:09:34.440 Thanks for watching.
00:09:35.580 Thank you for subscribing.
00:09:37.060 Special thanks to those of you who have donated to this project.
00:09:40.040 It is much appreciated, and it helps me continue making videos.
00:09:43.820 See you on the next one.
00:09:45.160 Peace.