Invented graphic flips poll results on Alberta independence support

"Latest from Angus Reid. This is HUGE!!!" exclaims a February 11, 2026 post from "Concerned Canadian," an X account AFP has previously fact-checked.

The post includes a graphic that appears to relay poll results showing 65 percent approval for Alberta separating from Canada, compared with a 29 percent vote for staying in the country.

Numerous other posts on Facebook and Instagram shared the same visual, claiming it showed overwhelming support for Albertan independence. 

Image

Screenshot of an X post taken February 16, 2026

Support for the Alberta separatist movement has fluctuated over the years as previous federal governments have attempted to curb emissions coming from the oil-rich province (archived here). Enthusiasm for independence renewed following US President Donald Trump's comments on Canada being the 51st US state, an aspiration for certain Albertan separatists.

New legislation in Alberta in December 2025 also paved the way for separatists to begin collecting signatures for an independence petition (archived here, here and here). Under the new rules, the separation question could make a provincewide vote if canvassing petitioners can collect 177,732 signatures by May 2, 2026.

The social media graphic showing 65 percent support for separation, however, is untrue.

Text inside the image credits the Angus Reid Institute, a Canadian research organization, and claims the data was collected between February 2 and February 6.

However, a February 9 Angus Reid publication discussing its polling between those dates actually reported the opposite: that the majority of those surveyed said they would vote to remain in Canada (archived here).

According to the firm, 57 percent of respondents said they would definitely vote to stay, with an additional eight percent saying they would lean towards staying. Eight percent of those surveyed would definitely vote for independence, and 21 percent were leaning towards separation.

The erroneous graphic also references a February 9 report from local broadcaster CTV News covering the Angus Reid results. But the news outlet's coverage also said the poll found "most Albertans would vote to stay in Canada" (archived here).

The level of support for the separation movement has been higher in the past than the February poll, according to a May 2025 Angus Reid article, which said 36 percent of Albertans were leaning towards or definitely planning to vote for independence following the Liberal Party's federal election win (archived here). 

But more recent reports from Canadian research companies Leger and Ipsos have found support of Albertan separation stood at 23 and 28 percent, respectively (archived here and here).

AFP has previously fact-checked other false claims related to the Alberta independence movement.