Toronto: Pro-Khalistan secessionists have come out in support of a separatist referendum scheduled to be held in the Canadian province of Alberta later this month. Separatists waves the Alberta flag by the roadside during an event advocating for Alberta's separation from Canada in Medicine Hat, southwestern Alberta, on September 23. (AFP)The Alberta Referendum will be held on October 19, and focuses on whether the province should remain in Canada, or whether the provincial government should “commence the legal process required under the Canadian Constitution to hold a binding provincial referendum on whether or not Alberta should separate from Canada”. A day prior, on October 18, the secessionist group Sikhs for Justice (SFJ) is holding its so-called Khalistan Referendum in Edmonton, the capital of Alberta. Signage has appeared in the city promoting it while also using imagery for the Alberta referendum. SFJ general counsel Gurpatwant Pannun said, “Whether it is the people of Alberta determining Alberta’s political future or Sikhs determining Punjab’s political future, the fundamental democratic principle is the same: the political future of a people should be determined by the people.”“On October 18, Sikhs vote on Punjab. On October 19, Albertans vote on Alberta’s political future. Different peoples and different constitutional circumstances — but political questions should be settled democratically,” he added. There is concern in Ottawa over the referendum amid media reports of potential American interference in the process, favouring the separatists. Prime Minister Mark Carney has obviously opposed separation while provincial Premiere Danielle Smith, who agreed to the referendum, has also come out against breaking away from Canada. In a poll on Thursday, the agency Leger found that 70% of respondents in Alberta felt the province should remain a part of Canada, up 5% since August. The other referendum is part of process which began in 2020, and has no date set for its conclusion, and most of its activity has been concentrated in Canadian cities and suburban areas. SFJ has said that one of its organisers, Avtar Singh Pannu, who is based in the US but has travelled to Edmonton, has received a duty to warn notice from the Royal Canadian Mounted Police (RCMP). That notice stated, “The police have determined that a threat has been made against your life. At this time, we are unable to provide you any further, specific details of the threat.”