Toronto: Pro-Khalistan secessionists have expressed their support for a scheduled separatist referendum in the Canadian province of Alberta later this month. The Alberta Referendum, set for October 19, addresses whether the province should stay in Canada or direct the provincial government to pursue the legal constitutional steps required for a binding vote on separation.
Just prior to that vote, on October 18, the secessionist organization Sikhs for Justice plans to hold its own unofficial Khalistan Referendum in Edmonton, the capital of Alberta. Promotional signage has emerged across the city that features imagery tied to both causes. Gurpatwant Pannun, general counsel for Sikhs for Justice, compared the two movements by arguing that a population's political future should be determined democratically, regardless of differing constitutional circumstances.
Federal officials in Ottawa have voiced concern over the referendum, alongside media reports suggesting potential American interference favoring the separatists. Canadian Prime Minister Mark Carney has opposed the idea of separation, and Alberta Premier Danielle Smith, who permitted the referendum process to move forward, has also stated her opposition to breaking away from the country.
Recent polling conducted by Leger showed that 70 percent of respondents in Alberta believe the province should remain part of Canada, representing a five percent increase since August. The broader Khalistan referendum campaign is part of an ongoing effort that began in 2020 without a definitive end date, with most of its activities centered in urban and suburban Canadian communities.
Additionally, Sikhs for Justice reported that Avtar Singh Pannu, a United States-based organizer who traveled to Edmonton, received a duty-to-warn notice from the Royal Canadian Mounted Police. The notice informed him that law enforcement had identified a threat to his life, though police stated they were unable to provide further specific details at the time.