In 2019, Danielle Smith warned that Alberta’s frustration with Ottawa’s energy policies could break Canada apart within a decade. John Perkins, a self-described former American “economic hit man,” told Canada to watch Venezuela. Seven years later, Alberta takes its first vote on whether to pursue separation, and U.S. forces have captured Venezuela’s president.
CALGARY, Alberta, Oct. 08, 2026 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) — In 11 days, Albertans go to the polls. Muster Point Productions presents section 38, the new documentary written and directed by Mathew Embry, comes at that moment from three directions: Keith Wilson, K.C., a leading voice of the independence movement; Danielle Smith, in a forgotten interview from 2019; and John Perkins, looking at Canada from the outside. Together, they tell a cautionary tale about the fate of a country, and ask a hard question: how did a nation with so much promise end up here?
Embry began following the independence movement seven years ago, in the bitter cold of a Wexit rally at the Alberta legislature. He kept filming as it grew, behind the scenes with the voices leading it. Along the way, he was joined by producers Allan Thrush and the late Peter Beyak. Among the voices Embry followed is Wilson, a constitutional lawyer and arguably the most prominent advocate for independence in the province today.
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In 2019, Danielle Smith sat down for a long interview, much of it never seen. At the time, she was a broadcaster. She remembered the boom years, when forecasts had Alberta producing seven million barrels of oil a day and it seemed the sky was the limit, and traced how that promise gave way to Western alienation. Then she made a stark prediction: “I don’t think Canada will exist in a decade.” Yet she believed the country could hold, and said how that could be achieved.
Wilson gives voice to the grievances and the hopes that drive the movement. “We’re not going to physically move Alberta,” he says. “The rest of Canada is still going to be our neighbours. But we could become independent.” He also lays out the legal path: a 1998 Supreme Court of Canada ruling that, he argues, makes Canada the only modern democracy with a constitutional route for a region to vote its way out.
Then the film steps outside Canada altogether. On Bainbridge Island, Washington, also in 2019, Embry filmed John Perkins, bestselling author of Confessions of an Economic Hit Man. Perkins opens a window onto the hidden history of American economic strategy and warfare, and leaves a warning that now reads like prophecy: “Canada should be looking at Venezuela very carefully.”
Canada sits beside the world’s largest economy and military power, one with a deep interest in its resources. In August, after trade talks collapsed, Donald Trump imposed 50% tariffs on nearly $20 billion in Canadian goods and said Canada “wants the benefits of being a State, without being one.” Researchers have also tracked Russian and American online campaigns trying to stoke division over Alberta’s vote.
Perkins frames the moment with an image from the Amazon. Between one reality and the next, he says, stands a jaguar. “What stands on that bridge is this jaguar that says, Ah, but change is scary.”
“This isn’t a simple film, because this isn’t a simple moment,” says Embry. “Some will say I’m too sympathetic to separatists. Others will say I’m too hard on them. But their concerns are real, and so is the case for a united Canada. I’m not here to tell anyone how to vote. I’m here to share perspectives.”
Living with the Shuar in the Amazon, Perkins learned to walk without watching his feet: look ahead, look around, see where your steps are taking you. On Oct. 19, Alberta steps onto the bridge.
Oct. 19. Alberta votes.
section 38 — rent it now for $9.99 at section38Film.com.
section 38 · Written and directed by Mathew Embry · Produced by Mathew Embry, Allan Thrush and Peter Beyak
About Mathew Embry
Mathew Embry, Muster Point Productions founder, is a Calgary documentary filmmaker known for taking on Canada’s most polarizing debates. His films include Living Proof (TIFF 2017), Global Warning, Theo Fleury: Playing with Fire and Jann Arden: Free.
Trailer, clips and interviews with Mathew Embry are available on request.
Media contact: Mathew Embry · [email protected] · (403) 973-1044
Photos accompanying this announcement are available at:
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