The future of the Stay Free Alberta citizen petition is in doubt after an Alberta judge ruled it cannot be implemented, a decision the province plans to appeal.
In late March, the Alberta Prosperity Project announced that a petition had passed the minimum signature threshold needed to trigger an Alberta independence referendum.
Separatism in Alberta has a long history dating back to the late 19th century. But while the movement has been around for a long time, it’s “getting louder,” according to one Alberta pollster.
We are interested in how the audiovisual media of “Free Alberta” is mobilized and how it helps persuade listeners. This is especially important to consider since foreign involvement is fueling anti-Canadian sentiment, as researchers at DisinfoWatch, a platform that monitors and debunks foreign disinformation, have pointed out.
Jamie Myers Ricks, the original author of this story, studies how Alberta’s oil industry and surrounding oil culture are expressed in sound and music. She is a born and raised Albertan. The second author, James Deaville, is from Ontario and studies national anthems, music, and media.
Pro-Independence Alberta Music
Alberta’s secessionists have dreamed of a new sovereign state with a mission to free themselves from federal political, economic and cultural control.
Such a mission, which would mean a new Alberta song, may seem trivial compared to the din of political debate and rally speeches within the independence movement.
But music is the ultimate hidden persuader. It affects people in ways that bypass reason and often gets into our emotions. National anthem music brings groups together through simple, “easy-to-sing” songs with stirring, patriotic lyrics that reflect the country’s history, values, and culture.
It’s perhaps not surprising to find anthemic music being produced among Alberta secessionist YouTube accounts that aligns with their aspirations, such as a curated playlist posted by Mitch Silvestre, leader of the secessionist initiative through the Alberta Prosperity Project, which promotes provincial independence.
Canadian Press/Jason Franson
Read more: Prosperity fuels sovereigntist shift as Alberta secessionists court U.S.
The first national anthem on the playlist — “Alberta Music: Do You Agree?” — is designed to promote the referendum question. The song asks, “Do you agree that Alberta should stop being part of Canada and become an independent nation?” “That’s right!” I heard a voice say.
Another example is content creator John Bolton’s November 2025 video “We Are Alberta — New Anthem — World Premiere.” There, he explains how he used AI to generate Alberta’s national anthem. The video features an upbeat tempo, driving guitars, rolling strings, and a unison-voiced chorus. Bolton said the music is accompanied by photos he has taken.
Alberta secession and AI’s “slopaganda”
In addition to the pro-independence Alberta anthems being generated and promoted by Alberta secessionists, researchers at McGill University’s Center for Media Technology and Democracy have published a study that explains how a network of inauthentic YouTube videos is promoting secession for Alberta.
The report found that a network of at least 20 AI YouTube accounts targeting viewers in Alberta were “exploiting genuine grievances and repurposing them to advance a narrative that normalizes secession and possible U.S. annexation.”
The 20 fraudulent channels analyzed had approximately 40 million views. The videos feature AI-generated deepfakes, many of which are of Prime Ministers Daniel Smith and Mark Carney, and contain “frequent and obvious lies”. The channel includes “AI avatars and paid American voice actors.”
A CBC/Radio-Canada investigation says Dutch-based people are behind several YouTube channels promoting separatism in Alberta.
When asked about these AI videos, particularly the claims about foreign influence, Silvestre said the issue is “overblown.”
“Sovereign Steel: A Hymn to Alberta”
One of Alberta’s widely circulated AI-generated national anthems is “Sovereign Steel: Anthem for Alberta.”
Press progress The video, shown at a 2025 Separatist promotional event, was created by US-based content creator Jason Causey (Full Metal Patriot). The YouTube video description for this video states that it was created in collaboration with Jim Ferguson and Freedom Train International. Mr Ferguson is a former Brexit Party candidate.
Read more: Advancing Alberta’s sovereignty: Learning from the economic impact of similar separatist movements
Unacceptable Fringe, a channel that the Center for Media Technology and Democracy report identifies as an authentic Alberta channel, also shared and promoted the video. It’s also being spread in Alberta Facebook groups.
Introducing “Sovereign Steel,” Unacceptable Fringe host Derek Smith said the anthem “speaks to what Alberta is and is very catchy,” but also said he doesn’t believe in “full-fledged Alberta separatism.”
Unacceptable Fringe/YouTube
imagine a strong white man
The music of “Sovereign Steel” incorporates a variety of associations, metaphors, and symbols. The music is based on rock anthems and features sassy electric guitar, tenacious bass, and four-on-the-floor drums.
There is no doubt that the verse and chorus structure and simple melody line contribute to its catchiness. But a good rock anthem also has a social element that brings a community together around a common experience.
The video begins with the text, “Alberta has drawn the red line. Legislation is underway to leave Canada. Patriots around the world are supporting them.”
The lyrics speak of Alberta’s resilience and freedom. We may read these lyrics as indicative of long-standing foundations in Western politics of alienation, but in and of themselves their expressions of grievance mean little.
“We ride on sovereign steel/Through the fire and through the frost/We will not be the last/We are the front they lost.”
The lyrics are more about what Albertans are supposedly fighting against (Prime Minister Carney is depicted as a king wearing a crown) than about the possible positive outcomes of separation. The image capitalizes on Alberta’s landscape and symbolic connections to the extractive industry.
(Full Metal Patriot/YouTube)
More than 95 percent of Sovereign Steel’s AI-generated people are white men (ranchers, farmers, oil field workers), some with lightning bolts in their eyes.
These are set against landscapes such as snow-capped mountains, fields of golden wheat, and burning oil derricks. The remaining 5 percent featured in the video include white women, including Danielle Smith, and one man wearing Native American garb. The dominant image suggests a white supremacist vision.
Foreign involvement amplifies dissatisfaction
The encouragement of separatism in Alberta by non-Canadians should alarm Canadian listeners and viewers.
“Canadians have the right to freely and openly discuss confederation, federalism, regional grievances, and the future of Alberta. The danger is… that foreign governments, state-aligned media, ideological networks, and profit-driven systems of manipulation seek to distort that,” the DisinfoWatch report said.
Read more: We investigated millions of tweets from the Kremlin’s ‘troll factory’ and discovered classic propaganda techniques reimagined for the social media age
In mid-April, lawyers for Alberta Elections issued an injunction against the Alberta Prosperity Project, citing a lack of financial transparency.
Recent articles have revealed that Alberta’s separatist movement harbors deeply anti-immigrant ideals. Calgary writer Marcello Di Cintio, who attended the Alberta Independence Rally in late January, reported that in a live vote, participants cited “immigration and deportation” as their top priority for separation.
This mirrors Smith’s referendum question on immigration, which promotes a xenophobic narrative.
Anthem is aimed at an emotional response
AI-generated content shared through social media has unique power.
Musically, lyrically, and visually, anthems create emotional responses and bring communities together.
For better or worse, music has that power. All Albertans and Canadians should pay close attention to what is known about the music being shared, its origins and its possible influences.
