LAKELAND – A petition to hold a referendum on whether Alberta should become an independent country has been referred to the Court of King's Bench to determine if the question violates the Constitution.
A referendum is when electors in the province are asked to vote “Yes” or “No” on a single, specific question, according to information from Elections Alberta, the organization in charge of running referendums.
The question Elections Alberta referred to courts, submitted by Mitch Sylvestre, asks: “Do you agree that the Province of Alberta shall become a sovereign country and cease to be a province in Canada?”
According to a July 28 provincial media release, Chief Electoral Officer Gordon McClure made the referral under the Citizen Initiative Act to ensure the proposal complies with the Constitution Act, 1982, particularly with sections 1 to 35.1.
The Court of King's Bench will now determine whether the proposed question can proceed. Elections Alberta publishes updates on the court proceedings on its website.
Background
The referendum petition application was submitted by Sylvestre on July 4, shortly after amendments to the Citizen Initiative Act came into effect through Bill 54.
The bill lowered the threshold for citizen-initiated petitions, reducing the signature requirement from 20 per cent of voters in two-thirds of Alberta’s constituencies to 10 per cent of voters across the province.
It also extended the time allowed to gather signatures from 90 to 120 days.
Sylvestre filed the application on behalf of the Alberta Prosperity Project (APP), a group that supports Alberta’s independence and promotes a “road map to sovereignty.”
Their vision includes creating an Alberta pension plan, establishing a provincial police force, and greater provincial control over immigration and natural resources.
While the movement has gained traction in areas like Bonnyville-Cold Lake-St. Paul, opposition exists, including from Indigenous groups like Cold Lake First Nations and the Otipemisiwak Métis Government.
Sylvestre has said that pursuing a referendum - even if unsuccessful - will help advance Alberta’s position. “No matter what happens to this referendum, this is going to be a net gain for the people of Alberta,” he said in a July interview with Lakeland This Week.
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Do you agree that Alberta should remain in Canada?
Former Progressive Conservative deputy premier Thomas Lukaszuk, through the Alberta Forever Canada, also submitted a citizen initiative petition to Elections Alberta asking: Do you agree that Alberta should remain in Canada?
The petition, approved by Elections Canada on June 30 and rolled out on July 30, requires 293,976 signatures by Oct. 2, or 10 per cent of eligible voters in Alberta.
