CALGARY, April 9 (Reuters) - Separatists in Alberta say recent developments that have put Prime Minister Mark Carney on the verge of a parliamentary majority are boosting their cause as they seek to gather public support to force a vote on independence from Canada.
Volunteer canvassers gathering signatures in the western province for a petition aimed at triggering a citizen-led referendum on separation report an uptick in support since Marilyn Gladu, a long-time member of the right-leaning Conservatives, defected to the ruling Liberal party on Wednesday.
"We've had thousands of signatures since then," said Jeff Rath, spokesman for the Alberta Prosperity Project group that supports independence, in an interview on Thursday.
"Mark Carney himself has been the biggest help to the Alberta independence movement."
Alberta's electoral authority has not verified how many signatures the movement has. Rath said the citizen-led petition is already well over the approximately 177,000 signatures required by Alberta law to launch a referendum on separation from Canada in October.
Carney's office did not immediately respond to a request for comment.
Gladu is the fourth Conservative legislator to defect to the Liberals since November, and Carney will secure a parliamentary majority on Monday if his party wins at least one of three special elections. A majority in the House of Commonswill make it easier for the prime minister to push through his agenda.
The latest defection prompted widespread outrage in Conservative circles. In oil-rich Alberta, which leans rightward, many voters feel betrayed by the defections and worry that a Liberal majority will not be in the province's interests, Rath said.
Many separatists on social media also said the defections could spur more support for independence.
"If more conservative floor crossers come forward, winning a referendum becomes very hard to stop," said one post on social media platform X, which was reposted on Thursday by Keith Wilson, a prominent Alberta independence activist.
Separatists have been working to raise awareness of their cause south of the border, in order to get a sense of how Americans would respond to the prospect of an independent Alberta, Rath added.
Wilson appeared on U.S. right-wing media personality Glenn Beck's program this week, and Beck said he was an admirer of the cause.
Billionaire Elon Musk also appeared to endorse Alberta separatism this week, replying "Yeah" on X in response to an independence activist's statement that breaking away from the country is the only way to save Canada.
Rath described Musk as a "big supporter".
The separatists have until May 2 to submit their petition to Elections Alberta.
Polling has consistently shown that separation is a minority position in Alberta. A new poll this week, published before Gladu's defection, showed 27% of decided voters would vote in favour of independence.
(Reporting by Amanda Stephenson in Calgary; Editing by Nia Williams)
