艾伯塔省分离主义运动中最具代表性的人物之一表示，如果公投当天的投票结果不利于他们，这场斗争也不会就此终止。
One of the most prominent faces of the Alberta separatism movement says if the votes on referendum day do not go in their favour, the fight does not stop.
作为“艾伯塔繁荣计划”组织的首席执行官，米奇·西尔维斯特尔在9月下旬接受CBC新闻采访时称，除非渥太华方面出现重大政策变动，否则该组织不会改变既定立场。
Mitch Sylvestre, CEO of the Alberta Prosperity Project, told CBC News in an interview in late September that nothing will change for the group, unless things drastically change with Ottawa.
“我们为何要停止这场运动呢？我们发起这场运动的唯一理由就是认为艾伯塔省正面临严重危机，”他说道。
“Why would we stop this movement? We’re not doing it for any reason [other than] that we think that the sky is falling here,” he said.
“究竟是什么让人觉得我们会放弃呢？我们坚信自己是对的，也确信这里确实存在问题。”10月19日，艾伯塔省民众将就是否留在加拿大、以及是否就该省是否应脱离联邦举行具有法律约束力的公投进行投票。
“What would give anybody the impression that we would abandon this? We think that we’re right. We think there is a problem here.”On Oct. 19, Albertans will vote on whether to stay in Canada or to open the door to a binding referendum on whether or not the province should leave.
多项民意调查均显示，绝大多数艾伯塔省民众希望继续留在加拿大；CBC新闻委托开展的最新民调则显示，支持“选项二”的民众比例似乎有所下滑。
Polls have consistently shown that the vast majority of Albertans want to remain in Canada, with a recent poll commissioned by CBC News showing that support for Option 2 appears to be softening.
西尔维斯特尔表示自己并不太看重民调结果。他告诉CBC新闻，自己会接受投票的最终结果，但无论结果如何，都不会成为支持者们的终点。“即便结果不尽如人意，我们也不会就此放弃，”他说道。
Sylvestre, who said he does not give much weight to polls, told CBC News that he will accept the outcome of the vote "for what it is," but added it would not be the end of the line for supporters, regardless of the result.
西尔维斯特尔称，如果关于分离问题的具有法律约束力的公投能获得40%至65%的支持率，他也不会感到意外；他还提到自己已主持过200场民众座谈会，亲眼见证了民众对独立事业的支持热情。
“That doesn’t mean we’re gonna quit if we don’t like them,” he said.
当被问及是否存在某个得票率能让他打消念头、不再推动分离议题时，西尔维斯特尔表示，除非遭遇惨败，否则他绝不会改变想法。
Sylvestre said he wouldn’t be surprised if support for a binding referendum on separation received 40 to 65 per cent of the vote, adding that he has done 200 town halls and has seen the support for independence first hand.
“如果这次投票结果真的出现严重偏差，尤其是对我们有利或不利的情况；如果我真的确信我们能获得10%到12%的选票，那么毫无疑问，这会改变我对诸多事情的看法。至于这场独立运动是否会就此夭折，这并非我能断言的——毕竟我无法代表所有阿尔伯塔省的民众，”他说道。
When asked if there is a percentage of the vote that might give him pause and consider putting the issue to bed, Sylvestre said it would take a severe thumping for him to change his mind.
当被问及如果独立运动持续下去，阿尔伯塔省省长丹妮尔·史密斯有何打算时，省长的新闻秘书萨姆·布莱克特并未透露具体细节。
“If this vote is really skewered one way or the other, especially against us, if I really believed that we got 10 or 12 per cent of the vote, you know what, that’ll change my opinion on things. No doubt about it. Whether the movement will die or not, that’s not my responsibility to say because … I can’t speak for every Albertan,” he said.
“省长期待看到10月19日阿尔伯塔省民众给出的选择方向，并会尊重并恪守投票结果。我们也期望所有阿尔伯塔省民众都能如此，”布莱克特在一份声明中说道。
When asked what Alberta Premier Danielle Smith plans to do if the fight for secession continues, the premier's press secretary Sam Blackett did not get into specifics.
“我们希望能从民众那里获得对另外九个议题以及‘留在加拿大’这一选项的强力支持，这样我们就能继续致力于在统一的加拿大框架内建设一个更强大的阿尔伯塔省。”
"The premier looks forward to seeing the direction Albertans give us on October 19th and will respect and honour the results. We expect all Albertans to do the same," Blackett said in a statement.
据阿尔伯塔省选举局称，目前已寄出了超过65万张邮寄选票，这一数量是2023年省选时申请数量的11倍。
"We hope to get a strong mandate from Albertans on our other nine questions and for remaining in Canada, so that we can continue our work to build a stronger Alberta within a united Canada." Mail-in ballots Elections Alberta has said that over 650,000 mail-in ballots had been sent out, 11 times the number requested in the 2023 provincial election.
西尔维斯特表示自己不信任邮寄选票，并认为如果这些选票的结果倾向于让阿尔伯塔省留在加拿大，民众就会觉得选举过程存在舞弊。
Sylvestre indicated that he distrusts mail-in ballots and said if those ballots favour staying in Canada, people will think the fix is in.
不过当被问及是否会信任那些支持最终举行独立公投的邮寄选票时，西尔维斯特表示他会信任。
But when asked if he would trust mail-in ballots that are in favour of the option for an eventual vote, Sylvestre said he would.
“我们与整个选举流程毫无关联，明白吗？我们管不着选票的去向，也并不负责选票回收工作。我们安排了大量监票员负责监督，”他说道。
“We have nothing to do with the process, OK? We have nothing to do with where they go. We have nothing to do with basic collecting them when they get back. We have scrutineers in place and we have a lot of them,” he said.
“从历史来看，舞弊行为往往都是左派一方所为。不过如今情况如何我也不清楚。从一开始我就说过：大家都去投票站亲自投票吧。”据阿尔伯塔省选举局规定，如果邮寄选票上缺少经认可的身份证件复印件或相关声明，该选票将被视为无效。选举局会尝试联系选民索取相关材料，若无法收到，选票即会被作废。
“Historically the cheat has always gone the other way with the left. Now, I don’t know, I’ve said this from the very start, let’s just everybody show up to the poll, let’s vote in person.”According to Elections Alberta, if a mail-in ballot does not contain copies of accepted ID or declaration, it cannot be accepted. The agency will attempt to contact the voter for these documents but if they are not received, the ballot will be rejected.
一位发言人还表示，总体而言，欺诈性投票“极为罕见”。他补充说，过去10多年里仅有三起案例，涉及不符合投票资格的人员试图投票，相关责任人也均受到了警告处分。
A spokesperson also said that generally fraudulent voting is “a very rare thing,” adding there have been three cases where letters of reprimand were issued in the past 10 years or more for cases of ineligible voters attempting to vote.