Canada's province of Alberta is seeing an unprecedented independence movement, leading to a planned referendum on October 19. This significant development, supported by the provincial conservative government, marks the first such vote in Canada since Quebec's independence referendum in 1995. The separatist sentiment is strong in Alberta's oil-rich region.

In Canada's oil heartland of Alberta, separatism is no longer just a slogan. An unprecedented movement of independence supporters, aided by a reform from the western province's conservative government, has just cleared the way for a referendum to be held on October 19. This is a first in Canada since Quebec's failed independence referendum in 1995.