Alberta’s NDP Opposition says the decision by Premier Danielle Smith’s United Conservatives to schedule a last-minute committee meeting suggests they might be looking for a new way to get a separation question put to a referendum this fall. NDP Leader Naheed Nenshi says a bipartisan legislature committee headed up by Smith’s UCP plans to meet Wednesday to discuss a pro-Canada petition put forward by former deputy premier Thomas Lukaszuk. Lukaszuk gathered more than 400,000 names on his “Forever Canadian” citizens’ petition to force either a legislature or a provincewide referendum vote on keeping Alberta in Canada. However, he has repeatedly said he would prefer the question in the petition — “Do you agree that Alberta should remain within Canada?” — put to a vote on the floor of the Alberta legislature so Albertans will know where all the MLAs stand on the idea of separation. Story continues below
1:55Judge quashes Alberta separatist referendum in major win for First Nations The legislature committee has been discussing what to do with Lukaszuk’s petition, but the NDP has accused the UCP majority of delaying the process in order to move ahead with a second petition put forward by Alberta separatists to force a vote on the province leaving Canada. That second petition is in limbo after an Alberta judge last week quashed it on the grounds First Nations were not properly consulted. Nenshi says he’s now worried the UCP will force through a divisive referendum on Lukaszuk’s petition — despite the former deputy premier not calling for one — while Smith washes her hands of responsibility. “The UCP was slow-walking the committee on the Forever Canadian petition; suddenly they’re speed-walking that committee — an emergency meeting, it’s clear what their plan is,” said Nenshi. “She wants to force through a referendum on Thomas Lucaszuk’s petition — this despite Thomas Lukaszuk saying over and over and again that his intent was to not trigger a referendum.” Story continues below “She has no mandate for a separatist referendum, she didn’t run on it, Albertans didn’t vote for a separatist party, Albertans don’t want the rupture to our economy (or) the division between neighbours, and all of the other challenges that a separatist referendum will cost,” added Nenshi. “But Danielle Smith is going to do it anyway.”
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Get daily Canada news delivered to your inbox so you’ll never miss the day’s top stories. “She cares about her own political survival — because she knows she’ll lose her job as leader of the UCP and as premier of Alberta if she doesn’t pander to the people that got her there. “The only reasons she was pandering to separatists was — because otherwise it would ruin her political career,”
1:49Alberta separatism proponent wants UCP to call referendum Mount Royal political scientist, Lori Williams, said the UCP government “clearly did not want to expose the members of their party that that support separatism. Story continues below But the recent court decision, rejecting the Alberta Prosperity Project‘s petition, which asks, “Do you agree that the province of Alberta should cease to be a part of Canada to become an independent state?” puts the premier in a difficult situation. “Clearly, her comments about the court decision saying that it’s undemocratic has caused a lot of questions to be raised in the Indigenous community — and of course, going forward with a referendum question into the fall introduces investor uncertainty. “The pipeline that Danielle Smith wants to have built requires a private investor. This decision has made that more difficult both because private investors don’t like the uncertainty that’s been created, and will continue if this is put on the ballot in the fall. “On the other hand, she’s got pressure from within her own caucus, increased threats coming from members of the Alberta Prosperity Project and other separatists within the province. They essentially can use the existing rules within the United Conservative Party to remove her as leader if she doesn’t put their question on the ballot, and so the premier who’s been trying to placate both those who want to stay in Canada and those who want to have certainty and stability in the future — and it puts her in a difficult position.”
1:47Alberta legislature committee discusses Forever Canadian petition In response to a question from about the possibility of the committee sending the Forever Canada petition to a referendum, the committee chair, Brandon Lunty, responded with an email. Story continues below “Now that members have received technical briefings from the Ministry of Justice and Elections Alberta, the committee is able to invite stakeholders to appear,” the statement read. “The proponent of the Forever Canada petition, Mr. Thomas Lukaszuk, has been invited to present at tomorrow’s meeting and answer questions.” In a post on social media on Tuesday, Lukaszuk shared a letter from the committee chair, inviting him to attend Wednesday’s meeting to discuss “previous business.” However, the letter makes no firm commitment that he will be allowed to make a presentation to members. In a letter, shared on social media by Thomas Lukaszuk, organizer of the Forever Canadian petition, the chair of the legislative committee invites him to attend Wednesday’s meeting. X/LukaszukAB “In the event that the committee chooses, during that meeting, to invite you to present — please be prepared to make a presentation on the citizen initiative proposal of up to five minutes, after which committee members will have the opportunity to ask questions regarding the proposal and your presentation,” reads the letter. Story continues below In a post on social media late Tuesday afternoon, the lawyer for the Alberta Prosperity Project, Jeffrey Rath warned Smith against holding a referendum using the question in the “Forever Canadian” petition. “If she does this, hundreds of thousands of Albertans will be forced to mobilize to remove her as leader of the United Conservative Party,” said Rath. “We can do this prior to an election in 2028.” –with files from The Canadian Press.
1:54‘Forever Canadian’ petition surpasses goal, collects 456K signatures © 2026 , a division of Corus Entertainment Inc.
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