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Alberta separation debate shifts as “remain in Canada” referendum petition advances
EDMONTON — The Alberta separation referendum debate is taking a new turn, with a “remain in Canada” question cleared to begin collecting signatures while a rival separatist proposal has been sent to court.
Elections Alberta has approved a citizen initiative from the Alberta Forever Canada group, led by former Progressive Conservative deputy premier Thomas Lukaszuk, asking: “Do you agree that Alberta should remain in Canada?” The approval was confirmed Tuesday after all legal requirements, including the appointment of a chief financial officer, were met.
The group now has 90 days to collect 293,976 signatures from eligible voters — 10 per cent of those who voted in the 2023 provincial election — to trigger a referendum. Under the Citizen Initiative Act, signatures must be gathered on official forms, witnessed by registered canvassers and submitted to Elections Alberta by Oct. 28. Digital signatures will not be accepted.
The campaign will proceed under the stricter rules that were in place before the province recently eased referendum thresholds. Those older rules require more signatures and allow less time to gather them than the current 120-day period introduced through amendments this summer. Lukaszuk says Alberta Forever Canada has already signed up more than 3,500 volunteers and will collect signatures at public events across the province, including farmers’ markets and festivals. He says the campaign has support from a wide range of community groups.
The timing of the “remain in Canada” initiative could have consequences for a rival petition. The Citizen Initiative Act forbids multiple petitions on the same issue from circulating at the same time. Earlier this week, Premier Danielle Smith and Justice Minister Mickey Amery publicly urged Chief Electoral Officer Gordon McClure to approve a separate petition from a separatist group seeking a referendum on whether Alberta should become a sovereign country.
That separatist question, however, has been referred to the Court of King’s Bench to determine whether it violates the Constitution, the federal Clarity Act or the provincial law barring multiple initiatives on the same issue from being circulated simultaneously. Elections Alberta says the matter will remain before the court until a decision is reached, and would not speculate on which initiative might ultimately advance to a referendum.
Lukaszuk called government efforts to advance the separatist initiative “judicial interference,” likening it to former prime minister Justin Trudeau’s pressure on then-attorney general Jody Wilson-Raybould during the SNC-Lavalin affair.
“What I am doing isn’t rocket science,” he said. “I simply read the rules and followed them. This is why my referendum question was approved.”
Many outside Alberta have varying views of how strong the separatist movement is. A recent Angus Reid poll found that only 30 per cent of Albertans even want to see the issue put to a vote. Roughly 10 per cent said they would consider separating from Canada or joining the United States.
“The numbers just are not there for separatists to win a majority,” Lukaszuk said. “Our question affirming Alberta’s place within Canada has much stronger support. We’ve signed up over 3,500 volunteers to collect signatures in less than 48 hours,” he added. “Some very influential people are endorsing our movement.”
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