In favour of keeping the Western Canadian province as a part of the country, they were joined by other Alberta acts including Celeigh Cardinal, Kue Varo and The Only Hopes, Caity Gyorgy, Reuben Bullock and Montuno West.
Homegrown artists are taking a stance against the potential separation of Alberta from the rest of Canada.
Over the weekend, grassroots organization Forever Canadian hosted a free outdoor concert at The Confluence Historic Site and Parkland in the Western Canadian province — just one month before citizens will have their say on the proposed separation.
Headlined by acclaimed Calgary singer-songwriter Jann Arden, the concert featured seven other acts hailing from across the province, including Kue Varo and The Only Hopes, Caity Gyorgy, John Wort Hannam, Reuben Bullock, Celeigh Cardinal, Lindi Ortega and Montuno West.
Former deputy premier and Forever Canadian founder Thomas Lukaszuk and Calgary mayor Jeromy Farkas gave speeches throughout the event. According to CBC News, over 6,000 people RSVP’d for the concert, but no official number was given for how many actually attended.
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On Oct. 19, Calgarians will head to the polls to answer 10 referendum questions, nine of which are focused on giving Alberta more influence on immigration and constitutional issues. The 10th question asks whether the province should stay in Canada or whether a second, binding vote to separate from the country should be held.
Calling it “Canada Day on steroids,” Lukaszuk told CBC the event’s agenda was to promote “national unity” amid “political division, geopolitical conflict and threats to the nation's sovereignty and economic independence,” that has affected the country at large.
“We need to unite, we need to pull together and we need to send a strong message not only to the legislature in Edmonton, and not only to the rest of Canada, but to the rest of the world that as Canadians we are united, and nobody can break us up, and nobody can take advantage of us,” he said.
Arden has been vocal about her stance on the situation, describing the potential separation rhetoric as "nonsense," and has urged Albertans to be diligent and even promoted yesterday’s event to her followers on social media.
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During her headlining set, she performed a medley of her biggest hits, including her major 1994 hits “Good Mother” and “Insensitive,” which she cheekily dedicated to Alberta premier Danielle Smith.
Speaking with the Calgary Herald, country singer Lindi Ortega explained that the conversation about unity and the importance of deciding Alberta’s fate is deeply important. “I was heartbroken to see that there were people that wanted to leave this country,” she said. “I think it’s a beautiful country [and] I don’t know why anyone would want to leave.”
Folk musician John Wort Hannam took a less political stance, vowing to celebrate with like-minded Albertans who love their province and country.
“It’s important for me that I would like to see Alberta remain in Canada because I have lived in Alberta for the last almost 50 years,” he explained to the publication. “I’ve travelled this country, I enjoy being a Canadian citizen [and] I enjoy being an Alberta resident.”
Led by Lukaszuk, Forever Canadian has been at the forefront of the movement, consistently lobbying to keep Alberta in Canada, as their slogan says. He told CBC that the organization will be visiting municipalities across the province to promote its message ahead of the referendum.
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“I simply want to remind them of the importance of this event, of this moment in Alberta history that we're going through.”
