A petition asking Albertans if they want the province to separate from Canada was formally filed by its organisers on Monday, marking a key step towards a possible independence referendum in the fall.
Stay Free Alberta, the group behind the citizen-led petition, has said that it has surpassed the amount of signatures needed to trigger a referendum.
The Alberta separatist movement has its roots in western alienation - a term used to describe the belief by some that the province is often overlooked by decision-makers in the national capital, Ottawa.
Petition organisers had until this month to collect at least 178,000 signatures - or 10% of eligible voters - for the referendum campaign.
Mitch Sylvestre, the head of Stay Free Alberta, said outside the election office in Edmonton on Monday that the organization delivered more than 300,000 signatures.
