Full Breakdown
Alberta Prosperity Project Fires Leaders After Referendum Defeat
By Drooid · · How we work
Core Event: Dismissal of Jeffrey Rath and Mitch Sylvestre
In mid-September, the board of the Alberta Prosperity Project (APP) voted to remove Mitch Sylvestre, the group’s chief executive, and Jeffrey Rath, its legal counsel, “for cause.” The terminations were formalized shortly thereafter, and the two men were stripped of their director roles ten days later. Board member Tanya Clemens said the decision was kept quiet to avoid distracting from the ongoing referendum campaign.
Background & Context: Referendum Result and Party Fallout
On the Monday following the vote, 75 percent of Albertans rejected the separatist referendum, opting to remain part of Canada. Premier Danielle Smith responded the next day by pledging not to hold another referendum while she remains premier and issued an ultimatum to separatist members of her United Conservative Party (UCP): accept the result or leave the party. The separatist faction, which helped bring Smith to power, has vowed to stay in the UCP and to seek board seats at the party’s late-November annual general meeting.
Official Statements & Responses
Tanya Clemens explained the board’s silence, stating she did not want an internal dispute to dominate the public conversation about Albertans’ future. Premier Smith reiterated her commitment to a new political direction and warned that any attempt to turn the UCP into a separatist vehicle would be untenable. Chris Scott, an independence advocate on the APP board, said documentation exists confirming the dismissals and warned that a separatist takeover of the UCP would be “a disaster.”
Criticism & Opposition
Chris Scott alleged that the APP’s membership list—estimated at roughly 250,000 supporters—was handed to two conservative strategists during the campaign, raising concerns about data security. Jeff Rath countered that the board meetings that led to their removal were “imaginary,” asserting that neither Clemens nor Scott were lawfully registered as board members at the time.
Verbatim Quotes
- “I didn’t want an internal dispute to become the story when we were trying to have such an important conversation with Albertans about their future,” — Ms. Clemens
- “Neither Tanya Clemens or Chris Scott were lawfully registered as board members at the time these imaginary board meetings were held,” — Mr. Rath, chief executive