WASHINGTON

The premier of Alberta said Monday that a referendum could be held next year on the province separating from Canada if residents can gather the required number of signatures in a citizen-led petition.

"To be clear from the outset, our government will not be putting a vote on separation from Canada on the referendum ballot," Danielle Smith said in a livestream address.

"However, if there is a successful citizen-led referendum petition that is able to gather the requisite number of signatures requesting such a question to be put on a referendum, our government will respect the democratic process and include that question on the 2026 provincial referendum ballot as well," she said.

Smith also said that she will appoint a group to negotiate with the Canadian government on removing laws that restrict energy production.

"We have the most abundant and accessible natural resources of any country on Earth, and yet we landlock them, sell what we do produce to a single customer to the south of us while enabling polluting dictatorships to eat our lunch," she said.