PJ The Belt - January 17, 2026


Canada Picked China — Alberta Just Chose Freedom

This Was Always Carney's Plan With China We Asked Albertans： Why SEPARATE From Canada？

Episode Stats


Length

8 minutes

Words per minute

140.11

Word count

1,186

Sentence count

99

People

Also mentioned:
Elections Alberta Brian Bowman Okotoks Drop

Harmful content

Misogyny

1

sentences flagged


Summary

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

The Alberta Prosperity Project's push to see Alberta leave Canada has drawn crowds across the province, and those involved say that they're not surprised. Petitioners have until the beginning of May to collect more than 177,000 signatures as required by Elections Alberta.

Transcript

Transcript generated with Whisper (turbo).
Misogyny classifications generated with MilaNLProc/bert-base-uncased-ear-misogyny .
00:00:00.000 And Alberta, if you are different from the rest of the country, you better start moving quickly.
00:00:08.160 Because as far as I'm concerned, Canada right now has presented themselves as a national security threat.
00:00:15.400 That's not hyperbole. I mean that.
00:00:17.980 We're going to shatter our goal of 177,000 signatures.
00:00:21.000 And, you know, we're trying to do everything we can to get well over a million signatures before the 120 days is up.
00:00:26.520 So that's our goal.
00:00:27.860 And I know this all too well because I spent my formative years in Canada.
00:00:32.000 I really hope that Alberta sees what's going on and they consider separating.
00:00:37.680 We would love to have you as an ally.
00:00:42.280 So Canada has turned to China, but Alberta just chose freedom.
00:00:47.500 And let's be honest, Albertans know exactly what moment we're in right now.
00:00:53.440 This is a crossroads, not a debate, not a theory.
00:00:57.280 A crossroads.
00:00:59.500 In one direction, you have Ottawa, globalist deals, China, control, and a country that no longer represents what Albertans stand for.
00:01:10.220 In the other direction, you have freedom, self-determination, our closest ally, the United States, and Alberta standing on its own two feet.
00:01:20.480 This is why more people than ever are saying it out loud.
00:01:24.760 It's time for Alberta to become its own country.
00:01:28.480 Alberta!
00:01:30.260 Alberta!
00:01:30.860 Alberta proud!
00:01:32.860 We've supported Canada for too long.
00:01:34.780 The Alberta Prosperity Project's push to see Alberta leave Canada has drawn crowds here in Okotoks, just south of Calgary.
00:01:42.460 It's the latest stop to draw long lines, and those involved say that they're not surprised.
00:01:48.060 I really believe that this shows how people really feel about what's going on.
00:01:54.280 Lineups began before petitioners had scheduled to start.
00:01:57.900 Folks in line saying they have been fed up with the federal government for too long.
00:02:02.400 Blue collar, working in the trades.
00:02:04.940 Those are the kind of people that suffer the most, I think.
00:02:09.880 They work the hardest, and they have the hardest time with the economy.
00:02:14.500 Okotoks is one of the latest towns in the province to see an organized effort to collect signatures on the citizen petition.
00:02:21.420 Since the petition was approved at the start of January, its provincial tour has drawn crowds,
00:02:27.480 including these scenes in Red Deer, these in Millet, south of Edmonton, and in Calgary.
00:02:33.320 The pictures they're showing you, it's exactly like these people lined up around the corner down the road.
00:02:39.260 Petitioners have until the beginning of May to collect more than 177,000 signatures as required by Elections Alberta.
00:02:47.200 Here's why this matters, and why it's moving so fast.
00:02:51.160 Albertans are showing up in record numbers.
00:02:54.400 Petition lines are long, town halls are packed, and even the mainstream media can no longer ignore it.
00:03:00.960 They tried to downplay it, they tried to mock it, and now they're forced to cover it.
00:03:06.920 At the same time, Canada is cozying up to China.
00:03:10.500 Global forums, global deals, global priorities that have nothing to do with Alberta.
00:03:16.520 Meanwhile, Alberta's real ally is obvious.
00:03:20.020 The United States.
00:03:21.380 Our biggest trading partner, our natural economic neighbor.
00:03:26.100 Not Beijing.
00:03:26.780 Alberta has the energy, the people, the economy, and now the momentum.
00:03:33.320 This isn't radical anymore.
00:03:35.640 It's actually practical.
00:03:37.480 And it's inevitable.
00:03:39.240 As you can see behind me, there are hundreds of people lined up to sign a petition.
00:03:43.620 What's the question?
00:03:44.680 Should Alberta separate from the rest of Canada?
00:03:47.680 You can see the line.
00:03:49.220 Like, the lines are there everywhere.
00:03:51.700 For every event, doesn't matter, small town, big city, medium city, the lines are there.
00:03:55.720 This is one of over 30 similar events being held across the province in January.
00:04:00.840 Brandi Bowman showed up because she says she's tired of Western Canada being ignored. 0.84
00:04:06.080 We're not your enemy.
00:04:07.060 We've actually done a lot for you guys.
00:04:09.380 So now we're just going to do it alone.
00:04:11.220 We could actually prosper for the first time in years without having to run through Ottawa's red tape, which we're sick of.
00:04:19.360 Others told me their main concerns are around taxes, employment, and housing.
00:04:23.840 We have to work even harder because we're too busy paying all of our taxes out east, and we get nothing back in return.
00:04:31.620 And the people here have to work extremely hard to pay their rent, to pay their gas bills, to buy their food.
00:04:36.720 And I think enough is enough.
00:04:38.260 So here's the real question.
00:04:40.180 Does Alberta stay attached to a country heading toward China and global control?
00:04:45.100 Or does it choose freedom, prosperity, and a future that actually makes sense?
00:04:53.560 You're watching Albertans answer that question in real time with their feet, their signatures, and their voices.
00:05:01.280 The federal government doesn't seem to be interested in working with Alberta, and it's unfortunate.
00:05:07.340 But you know what?
00:05:08.400 We have a choice to make, whether we continue the status quo or we're going to make a change.
00:05:12.680 I think I want to see change for my kids.
00:05:14.840 I don't want them to carry all the debt that's going to happen by keeping in what we have right now.
00:05:20.640 Organizers say roughly 1,700 people showed up to a second signing event in Eckville, about 50 kilometers from Red Deer.
00:05:29.460 They believe momentum is picking up, but there's still work to be done.
00:05:33.700 We've already got over 2,000 canvassers, so we're gunning for a lot more.
00:05:38.820 So I think that's going to be super.
00:05:40.760 I think this is a true grassroots movement.
00:05:42.760 We're confident that we're going to achieve our goal.
00:05:45.980 We're going to shatter our goal of 177,000 signatures.
00:05:48.840 And, you know, we're trying to do everything we can to get well over a million signatures before the 120 days is up.
00:05:54.680 So that's our goal.
00:05:56.480 They have until the start of May to gather those signatures, which will then need to be verified.
00:06:01.440 If this succeeds, it could go to a referendum or be discussed in the Legislative Assembly.
00:06:06.040 At minimum, it will definitely send a message to the residents of Alberta and the government.
00:06:10.280 And if it doesn't...
00:06:11.380 Maybe I'll leave Canada.
00:06:12.680 I'm not...
00:06:13.560 Oh, you're considering it?
00:06:14.640 Considering it, yeah.
00:06:15.900 Do you know where you would want to go, maybe?
00:06:17.240 I don't know.
00:06:18.020 I don't know.
00:06:18.440 Maybe Mexico?
00:06:20.560 Alberta, if you don't like these terms, you should separate.
00:06:24.160 Don't have to be a part of the United States.
00:06:26.200 You just have to make sure you're not a part of Canada.
00:06:29.680 And we would be happy to trade with you and make a new friend.
00:06:34.500 And let's actually be friends.
00:06:36.420 You guys let me know what you think about that.
00:06:38.300 I mean, every single word.
00:06:40.320 I would like to see it start tomorrow.
00:06:42.240 We can't allow this in our own backyard.
00:06:44.940 This is the only alternative to Venezuela-ing Canada with Carney.
00:06:49.660 And I don't think he likes that either.
00:06:51.080 What do you think?
00:06:51.820 Is this the moment Alberta breaks away or does Ottawa try to shut it down?
00:06:56.400 Drop your thoughts in the comments.
00:06:57.920 And if you support Alberta standing up for itself, subscribe.
00:07:02.520 Because we're following this step by step as it happens.
00:07:27.920 We'll be right back.
00:07:57.920 We'll be right back.