Separation Anxiety

There's a referendum in Alberta this fall, and independence is on the ballot — sort of. Who are the separatists? What do they actually want? And what happens to the rest of Canada if they get it? Canadian True Crime is proud to support the local independent journalism behind Separation Anxiety https://pod.link/6811266682, a new five-part investigative podcast series about Alberta’s modern separatist movement in the lead up to the October 19 referendum question. Join award-winning Alberta journalists Danielle Paradis and Tim Querengesser as they travel around Alberta, following separatist organizers into church boardrooms and hot‑dog picnics to examine the influences, ideas and grievances fuelling Alberta’s modern separatist movement. From its century-old roots to the anti-lockdown protests, trucker convoy and political upheaval that brought Danielle Smith to power, Separation Anxiety also traces the separatist movement’s evolution — and why it is now tied to accusations of criminal treason and treaty‑rights violations. Separation Anxiety is a five-part podcast series releasing weekly starting September 2026. Episode 1 available now. SUBSCRIBE NOW Find Separation Anxiety: The Alberta Referendum https://pod.link/6811266682on your favourite podcast player https://pod.link/6811266682 https://pod.link/6811266682 Follow Separation Anxiety's substack https://separationanxietypodcast.substack.com/for the latest. Produced with the support of Canadian True Crime. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy https://acast.com/privacy for more information.

• 0:00Speaker 00

  Hi there, I hope you're well. We've got another episode coming along, but in the meantime, I'm really excited to tell you about a project I've been quietly involved with, a new Canadian investigative series launching this week called Separation Anxiety.

• 0:21Speaker 01

  There's a referendum this fall, and independence is on the ballot. Sort of. I'm Dani Parody.

• 0:27Speaker 02

  And I'm Tim Querengesser. We're two Alberta journalists who've covered this province's politics for years.

• 0:33Speaker 01

  This summer, we drove around Alberta, talking to separatists.

• 0:38Speaker 00

  Before you hear the trailer, I want to quickly explain why this show matters so much to me. Alberta is holding a referendum on October 19th, and one of the questions asks whether the province should take steps towards a legally binding vote on separating from the rest of Canada. Yep, it's a referendum about whether to hold another referendum, based on a political idea that, up until the last few years, was largely dismissed as pretty fringe and unrealistic. Now it's on the ballot. How did this happen? And what does the rest of Canada need to know about it? My friend, the award-winning journalist Danielle Parody, wanted to find out.

• 1:22Speaker 00

  If her name's familiar, it's because you've heard it in a few of our episodes here. She's also a podcast producer, writer, Indigenous educator, and all-round firecracker. Regular listeners might remember her podcast, The Place That Thaws, about how Indigenous peoples are dealing with climate change. Well, she won gold in the Digital Publishing Awards for that. So when she told me about Separation Anxiety, of course, my ears pricked up. Danielle tells me she spent most of this past summer driving around Alberta with fellow journalist and writer Tim Querengesser, talking directly with Albertans on the ground who support the separatist movement.

• 2:04Speaker 00

  Danielle and Tim really wanted to understand what's behind the push for separation, the frustrations, fears, and hopes that have led to these people deciding Alberta would be better off splitting from Canada. They met people at freeway overpasses waving flags, in rural cafes, churches, and Tim Hortons, not to argue with them, but just to listen. They wanted to find out, would separation actually address these people's concerns? Spoiler alert: no. And if Albertans vote no to another referendum on separation, will that settle this issue once and for all? Also no, not even close.

• 2:48Speaker 00

  What these journalists uncovered was surprising and revealing, and it has implications for all Canadians across the country. And I know, I know, you don't come to Canadian True Crime for provincial politics, but there's more than meets the eye here. This issue does have a criminal justice component. The RCMP is currently reviewing whether actions taken by the Alberta Premier and members of her government in relation to the separation push could amount to treason under the criminal code. But here's the main reason I'm backing Separation Anxiety. Canada has been my home for 17 years now. I like to know what's happening here.

• 3:31Speaker 00

  And strong, independent, grassroots local journalism is how we get a clearer picture of that. Not through spin and propaganda, soundbites and social media noise, but by reporters with boots on the ground in local communities, talking to real people. But that kind of journalism is under pressure right now. Newsrooms are shrinking, local coverage is disappearing, and the ad revenue that once supported Canadian journalism is increasingly being siphoned off by giant US tech companies. And the podcasting industry has its own challenges, too. We know audiences are still growing, and we know they genuinely love investigative limited series.

• 4:14Speaker 00

  The problem is that publishers are not funding these shows like they used to because they get a better return on investment from personality-driven shows that churn out episodes year-round. See podcasts on Netflix. So when Dani Parody told me about Separation Anxiety, a project driven entirely by curiosity and passion, I decided, why not me? So I'm proud to say that Canadian True Crime has helped finance this series, using the ad revenue we earned thanks to you listening to our episodes and subscribing to our premium feed. The podcast is called Separation Anxiety: The Alberta Referendum.

• 4:56Speaker 00

  It's got really distinctive artwork, a blue background with a large, red Canadian flag with an Alberta-sized hole in it. Episode one is out right now. There's links to find it on your favourite podcast player in the show notes. Here's a little taste.

• 5:15Speaker 03

  I had a great upbringing, and life was good. It was like Mayberry in the 1950s. But that Canada is no longer here. It vanished decades ago. The rug's being pulled out from under us.

• 5:27Speaker 04

  You're under the thumb of Ottawa.

• 5:29Speaker 05

  Canberra is our adversary.

• 5:32Speaker 03

  Come with us.

• 5:33Speaker 05

  We have a path. And the path forward is a free and independent Alberta.

• 5:43Speaker 01

  There's a referendum this fall, and independence is on the ballot. Sort of. I'm Dani Parody.

• 5:50Speaker 02

  And I'm Tim Querengesser. We're two Alberta journalists who've covered this province's politics for years.

• 5:55Speaker 01

  This summer, we drove around Alberta, talking to separatists.

• 5:59Speaker 03

  The land, the people, I love it. But like, this federal government and the system? Darn right that I hate the guys who hate me and who literally want me dead.

• 6:08Speaker 02

  And the people who want to stay.

• 6:10Speaker 06

  I don't really like the separatist movements. They remind me of Ukraine and how Russians actually are influencing what they did in Ukraine and actually what they're doing here.

• 6:19Speaker 07

  Well, I'm for a united Canada. I have no interest in seceding from Canada. I think we're stronger together. I think we're here to care for one another, take care of one another.

• 6:29Speaker 02

  Many people in the independence movement are very patriotic Canadians, but they have no appetite for what Canada has become and continues to become. Who are they? What do they actually want?

• 6:40Speaker 01

  And what happens to the rest of us if they get it?

• 6:47Speaker 03

  Certainly, this isn't settled in any way, shape, or form on October 20.

• 6:53Speaker 02

  This is Separation Anxiety.

• 6:55Speaker 01

  Wherever you get your podcasts.

• 6:59Speaker 00

  For more information and for links to subscribe to Separation Anxiety: The Alberta Referendum on your favourite podcast player, see the show notes. Thanks again, and I'll see you soon with the next episode.