A separatist group says it has formally submitted more than 300,000 signatures to try to trigger a referendum on the province of Alberta leaving Canada.

The group, called Stay Free Alberta, required 178,000 signatures for the province to consider such a vote, which could go to a province-wide ballot as early as October, News.Az reports, citing  Sky News.

Alberta premier Danielle Smith said she would move forward with the question of separation if enough names were gathered and verified, but added that she personally does not support oil-rich Alberta leaving Canada.

A "yes" vote in a referendum would also not automatically trigger independence, as negotiations with the federal government would have to take place.Daniel Beland, a political science professor at McGill University in Montreal, said some indigenous groups, who are already using the courts to prevent an independence referendum, would use venues such as the courts to stop independence from happening.

A judge in Edmonton, Alberta, is expected to rule on a court challenge launched by a group of Alberta First Nations who say a separation of the province would violate treaty rights.

Mr Beland said a referendum would likely lose, as support for independence is "rather low" at less than 30% and even lower if the focus is only on hard-core supporters.

He added that, considering recent reports of a large data breach involving an Alberta separatist group, the formal verification process is especially crucial to make sure the signatures are authentic.

Mitch Sylvestre, the head of Stay Free Alberta, said as he delivered the names to the Elections Alberta office in Edmonton on Monday: "This day is historic in Alberta history. It's the first step to the next step."He said most papers were handled five times to verify the signatures.

More than 300 supporters waving the provincial flag and chanting "Alberta strong" came to witness the delivery of the signatures.

The push for independence predates Mark Carney's premiership and is related to "economic, fiscal, and political grievances about the seemingly unfair treatment of Alberta by the federal government", according to Mr Beland.

"These concerns increased during the Justin Trudeau years but they have peaked and even declined since he left office," he explained.

News.Az 

By Leyla Şirinova