阿尔伯塔省的主要分离主义者之一周六誓言，即使选民周一否决启动脱离加拿大进程的提议，也将继续推动独立运动，并宣称支持者们已经通过将分离问题提升为重要政治议题而取得胜利。
One of Alberta’s leading separatists has vowed to continue the independence movement even if voters reject a proposal Monday to begin the process of leaving Canada.
“无论周一发生什么，我们已经赢了，”支持独立的组织“让阿尔伯塔决定”（Let Alberta Decide）的联合主席基思·威尔逊（Keith Wilson）在阿尔伯塔省议会大楼外的集会上对支持者们说。
ROB GILLIES EDMONTON, Alberta — One of Alberta’s leading separatists vowed Saturday to continue the independence movement even if voters reject a proposal Monday to begin the process of leaving Canada, declaring that supporters had already won by making separation a major political issue.
周一的投票并不是直接的独立公投。阿尔伯塔人将决定是否继续作为一个省存在，或启动通向未来关于分离的公投的法律程序。威尔逊没有明确承认失败，但似乎正在为这种可能性做好准备，以安抚支持者。
“Regardless of what happens on Monday, we’ve already won,” Keith Wilson, co-chair of the pro-independence group Let Alberta Decide, told supporters at a rally outside the Alberta legislature. Monday’s vote is not a direct referendum on independence. Albertans will decide whether to remain a province or begin the legal process toward a future referendum on separation Wilson stopped short of conceding defeat but appeared to be preparing supporters for that possibility.
威尔逊表示，该运动已经说服了数十万阿尔伯塔人相信独立在法律上是可行的，并迫使围绕该省对渥太华不满的更广泛辩论展开。
Wilson said the movement had convinced hundreds of thousands of Albertans that independence was legally possible and forced a broader debate over the province’s grievances against Ottawa.
独立运动吸引了反对新冠疫苗强制令的活动人士以及支持2022年卡车司机车队的人们，该车队曾使渥太华市中心瘫痪数周并导致一些边境口岸关闭。威尔逊曾是该抗议活动的首席律师。
The independence movement has drawn activists who opposed COVID-19 vaccine mandates and supported the 2022 trucker convoy that paralyzed downtown Ottawa for weeks and shut some border crossings. Wilson was a lead lawyer for the protest.
疫情让长期因西部 alienation（西部地区被边缘化的感觉）而滋生的分离主义运动升温 — — 对联邦权力和能源政策的不满 — — 吸引了对新冠限制感到愤怒的活动人士，其中一些人受到阴谋论的影响。
The pandemic supercharged a separatist movement long fueled by Western alienation — resentment of Ottawa over federal power and energy policies — drawing in activists angry over COVID-19 restrictions, some influenced by conspiracy theories.
威尔逊还邀请了美国UFC中量级冠雄肖恩·斯特里克兰（Sean Strickland）上台。斯特里克兰称赞加拿大卡车司机车队是美国人维护权利、行使抗议自由的榜样。
Wilson also invited American UFC middleweight champion Sean Strickland onto the stage. Strickland praised the Canadian trucker convoy as an inspiration to Americans for standing up for their rights and exercising their freedom to protest.
威尔逊还驳回了前阿尔伯塔省省长杰森·肯尼（Jason Kenney）的建议，即如果分离主义者周一未能赢得多数支持，就应放弃他们的事业。
Wilson also rejected former Alberta Premier Jason Kenney’s suggestion that separatists should abandon their cause if they fail to win a majority Monday.
“这不会发生，”威尔逊说。“我们将在我们的成功基础上继续前进，在我们的关系基础上继续前进。”总理马克·卡尼一直在反对分离的运动中奔走，警告称即使启动这一进程也会带来数年的经济不确定性，因为美国总统唐纳德·特朗普的贸易战争以及他威胁将加拿大变成第51个州的言论引发了对加拿大主权的担忧。
“That’s not happening,” Wilson said. “We are going to build on our successes, build on our relationships.”Prime Minister Mark Carney has campaigned against separation, warning that even beginning the process would bring years of economic uncertainty as U.S. President Donald Trump’s trade war and threats to make Canada the 51st state raise concerns about Canadian sovereignty.
阿尔伯塔省省长丹妮尔·史密斯在自己反对独立的情况下仍然呼吁举行公投。她最近引用了一项民意调查，该调查显示只有22%的人支持分离。
Alberta Premier Danielle Smith called the referendum despite opposing independence herself. She recently cited a poll showing just 22% support for separation.
来自卡尔加里的23岁独立运动支持者麦迪逊·霍姆斯表示，疫情和疫苗强制令让她走入政治，并激发了她对卡尼及其前任贾斯汀·特鲁多的反对。
Madison Holmes, a 23-year-old independence supporter from Calgary, said the pandemic and vaccine mandates drew her into politics and fueled her opposition to Carney and his predecessor, Justin Trudeau.
“新冠肺炎是让我走出壳子的原因。我本来不关注政治，”霍姆斯说。
“COVID is what got me out of my shell. I was not political,” Holmes said.