Should we stay or go? Albertans will vote for separatism in a referendum

Albertans will go to the polls this fall to answer a series of referendum questions, including whether or not they will vote – in the future – to leave Canada.

Premier Danielle Smith, in a televised address Thursday evening, said the province would add questions to the Oct. 19 referendum that she last announced in February.

Additional questions are: “Should Alberta remain a province of Canada or should the government of Alberta initiate the legal process required under the Canadian constitution to hold a binding provincial referendum on whether or not Alberta should separate from Canada?”

But why hold a vote on a future ballot?

These additional questions come after Smith said he disagreed with a King’s Court judge’s decision to throw out the separatist petition last week, saying the provincial government had an obligation to consult with First Nations before Stay Free Alberta was allowed to collect signatures.

“Because this proposed referendum does not directly trigger separation, but if it successfully gets the Alberta government to initiate the legal process necessary to hold a binding referendum on the issue, then the recent court decision will not apply and the referendum question I outlined can move forward,” Smith said.

Smith rejected the judge’s decision as legally incorrect and anti-democratic, and promised that the province would appeal – something he said in a televised speech could take months or years if the case reaches the Supreme Court of Canada.

Until then, the decision is legally binding.

So, this new question is a solution – but only the beginning of the process.

Smith said his office is ensuring the 700,000 people who signed the Forever Canada petition to stay in the country or the Stay Free Alberta petition to leave are honored.

“Rejecting these measures will only prolong a deeply emotional and important debate, and silence the voices of hundreds of thousands of Albertans who want to be heard is unjustifiable in a free and democratic society.

“It’s time to vote, understand the wishes of Albertans on this issue, and move on.”

Smith emphasized that he wants Alberta to remain in Canada, and would vote that way, adding that is also the position of his United Conservative Party.

“I have repeatedly stated that the position of the UCP caucus and the UCP government is to build a strong, sovereign Alberta within a united Canada.

“I have never deviated from that position and I will not do so now.”

Separatists are urged to be patient, trust Canada

Smith also used his 15-minute televised speech to reiterate his party’s long-standing complaints against the federal government and what he said was Ottawa’s interference in provincial jurisdictions.

He called on provincial leaders and other lawmakers to help “repair the enormous damage that the centralization of power in Ottawa has done to our country economically and with respect to national unity.”

“I am fiercely loyal to Alberta and Canada,” Smith said.

“But I truly believe our country will be much stronger and more prosperous when we respect the rights of provinces and empower them to govern themselves with minimal federal interference.”

Smith acknowledged relations had improved since Mark Carney was elected prime minister last year.

He then addressed the separatists directly, appealing for patience and their vote to remain in Canada.

“In my view, now is not the time to give up hope on our country. Not when we have fought so hard for so long and have come so far. I am confident that Canada can still succeed. I am confident that Canada will do better every day. And this country can do even better in the future if we continue to fight together to achieve those goals.”

“Now is the time to work harder and fight harder for the prosperity and change we want to see in our country. Because Albertans are at their best when we work hard to get things done for each other and our families.”

Smith also called on the pro-Canadian community to help heal the divisions between the two sides.

“Most of those who advocate secession deeply love our province. Many are proud to be Canadians, but have lost hope that their families can thrive in Canada.

“So, instead of attacking these loyal Albertans, let’s work together to restore hope to their country again.”

Legislative drama preceded Smith’s announcement

Smith’s speech came one day after a legislative committee meeting collapsed when the UCP sent out a news release prematurely.

The committee is reviewing a motion on whether Thomas Lukaszuk’s Forever Canadian petition should be included in a fall referendum. They had not yet voted on the issue when a statement saying the motion had been approved was issued.

That was the expected outcome, given that the UCP members on the committee outnumbered the Opposition NDP members, but the predetermined nature of the statement led to accusations by the Opposition NDP and Lukaszuk that the entire process was a farce that was all but certain.

On Thursday, the Selected Special Citizens Initiative Proposal Review Committee met once again and as expected, the motion was approved.

How did we get here?

Smith’s proposed referendum question that Smith unveiled Thursday night is the latest development in a long and difficult journey in a tale of two petitions.

On one side is former MLA Thomas Lukaszuk, who started collecting signatures a year ago under the Forever Canadian banner. The question read: “Do you agree Alberta should remain in Canada?”

Under provincial citizens’ initiative rules, he needed fewer than 300,000 names to force Smith’s government to consider the issue.

He received more than 400,000, and by the end of the year, Elections Alberta had certified the petition as valid.

However, as of Wednesday, the UCP government had done little to address Lukaszuk’s petition.

They send it to the committee for recommendations on how to proceed and resolve outstanding issues. Smith said one of the important issues is what Lukaszuk wants to do with the petition.

Lukaszuk said he gathered the names not to force a referendum, but to force politicians in the legislature to stand up and affirm that they believe in a united country.

However, he has also at times expressed support for a referendum – something the UCP recently used as an argument in favor of adding an October referendum question.

The separatist petition put forward by Stay Free Alberta, in turn, has an easier and more difficult path. Their question: “Do you agree that the Province of Alberta should cease to be part of Canada and become an independent country?”

Unlike Forever Canadian, Stay Free organizers only needed to collect about 178,000 names to trigger a government response after the UCP government rewrote the law last year.

But their petition was later dismissed as unconstitutional by a judge last year, after Elections Alberta asked the court to affirm that the question did not conflict with the Constitution.

But before the justices could rule, the Smith government changed the law again – this time removing Elections Alberta’s right to take such questions to court.
The judge involved issued his ruling anyway, saying that such questions did violate the Constitution.

Despite the decision, a second Stay Free Alberta petition attempt was issued in January and activists got to work collecting signatures. Three weeks ago, the group submitted verification of what they said was more than 300,000 signatures, far more than needed.

The petition was then thrown into legal limbo based on a court ruling last week, leading to the solution Smith announced Thursday evening.

The 6:45 p.m. speech aired as part of paid commercial time on Global News Hour at Six. Smith is scheduled to hold media availability Friday afternoon in Calgary.

This story will be updated with reactions to the prime minister’s speech. More to come…

— With files from The Canadian Press