Recent polling from Ipsos and Angus Reid shows consistent majority opposition to advancing Alberta separation, with 60-72% favoring remaining in Canada on the October 19, 2026 referendum question and only 19-35% supporting the process for a binding independence vote. Support for proceeding has declined sharply from January levels near 28%. Premier Danielle Smith, who does not back independence, scheduled the vote following citizen petitions that gathered over 300,000 signatures, though legal challenges from First Nations over treaty rights and consultation have delayed verification. These factors, alongside the two-step referendum structure requiring further steps for actual separation, underpin trader consensus against an affirmative independence outcome.