More worryingly for Danielle Smith, some ambitious politician may come to understand that their political career could flourish by becoming the figurehead of separatism. How many MLAs in the governing UCP caucus desire an independent Alberta? How many MPs in the federal Conservative benches privately harbour separatist sympathies? By publicly campaigning for independence, they would not only expand their profile but also legitimize the entire movement. Who, after all, would pass off being Alberta’s own René Lévesque, or reject an obvious path to becoming premier? Through one person’s ambition, the movement could transform from the pet project of a lawyer with high blood pressure into a professional campaign.