Leaders behind an Alberta separatist petition say they’ve reached the required number of signatures to trigger a provincial referendum or a legislative vote on the matter. The group has collected over 177,732 signatures, which represents 10 percent of the total votes cast in the last provincial election.
The petition application proposes a referendum relating to Alberta Independence. The group began collecting signatures on January 3, 2024, and has until May 2, 2024 for the official petitioning period. Elections Alberta will verify the count of signatures after they are submitted.
Alberta Premier Danielle Smith has stated, “I have said that any citizen initiative that gets the requisite number of signatures will be put on the ballot.” This commitment has raised expectations among supporters of the independence movement.
The province is planning to hold a referendum on several questions on October 19, 2024, which may include the independence question if the current petition is successful. However, it remains unclear if the referendum question would be added to the ballot.
Opposition NDP Leader Naheed Nenshi has criticized the government for delaying a petition to keep Alberta in Canada, stating, “The half a million Albertans who signed the ‘Forever Canadian’ petition are still waiting for their day in the legislature.” He further remarked, “This isn’t democracy. This is a premier grasping for power.”
Details remain unconfirmed regarding the exact wording of the referendum question, which may change before it is presented to voters. The petition aims to ask Albertans if they agree that Alberta should cease to be part of Canada to become an independent state.
As the political landscape evolves, observers are closely watching how the government will respond to the petition and what implications it may have for Alberta’s future within Canada.
