Albertans believe they contribute significantly more to the federal government via equalization payments than they receive, while the Liberal federal government imposes restrictions on the province's oil and gas industry.
Residents of this prairie province believe it is culturally different from Central and Eastern Canada while it more closely aligns with the U.S.
In fact there is a long-standing feeling that their concerns are largely ignored by Ottawa.
Brian Rushfeldt is the former president of Canada Family Action. The Calgary resident says the division over the separation issue is becoming much stronger.
"We've had our group who are absolutely opposed to any separation out collecting signatures and getting in the media and screaming and hollering about the damage that it will cause. Our premier and current government continue to look at both options."
However, secession is not legally straightforward. The Supreme Court of Canada has ruled that no province has the right to unilaterally secede, and the federal Clarity Act stipulates that any referendum must show a "clear majority" on a "clear question" before negotiations can begin, with the House of Commons acting as the arbiter of clarity.
Rushfeldt says there is pretty high speculation that there will be a provincial vote on the separatism issue.
“And if it went to an election today, I don't know which side it would fall on. It's going to be touch and go, which way it would go."
If Alberta were to leave, it would lose constitutional protections and would have to negotiate all aspects of its future relationship with Canada, including borders, assets, liabilities, Indigenous treaty rights, and minority protections.
Rushfeldt thinks it would be quite difficult to separate. U.S. statehood might be another option, he says.
“If Alberta alone separates, because we've got pension issues, we've got police issues, we've got taxation issues … and being a landlocked province right now would make it difficult because we would have to transport goods through Canada, that being either British Columbia or Saskatchewan."
