Riding the Unity Bus to rally support for Canada in Alberta

Wainwright, a town of approximately 6,600 residents located near the Alberta-Saskatchewan border, welcomed the Unity Bus on a chilly Thanksgiving Monday morning. The bus, adorned in patriotic red-and-white paint, arrived right on time, parked in a parking lot on the edge of town. Supporters, dressed in maple leaf attire, eagerly awaited the bus's arrival.

Former Alberta deputy premier Thomas Lukaszuk, the organizer behind the bus, stepped out and was greeted with applause by the volunteers of his Forever Canadian campaign. Lukaszuk, who has visited Wainwright four times, greeted supporters by name and offered them stickers and promotional materials. Despite a damp and windy day, the mood in the parking lot was cautiously optimistic.

The Unity Bus visit aimed to rally support for Alberta's stay in Canada, as the province will vote on a historic referendum on October 19. A September poll from Janet Brown Opinion Research indicated that only 23% of Albertans planned to vote for independence, with separatist support never surpassing a third of voters. Lukaszuk, born in Poland during the Communist era, moved to Canada as a young child and has since become a prominent political figure in Alberta.

He founded Forever Canadian in early 2025 to counter the separatist movement and has since recruited over 18,000 volunteers who have helped distribute more than 100,000 lawn signs. Lukaszuk's personal connection to Canada, stemming from his family's defection from Communist Poland, fuels his commitment to the pro-Canadian cause.