The former Alberta politician trying to keep the province from splitting up with Canada says his “Forever Canadian” campaign is getting “really, really close” to collecting enough signatures to trigger a vote on the province’s future in Canada.
The campaign, led by former MLA Thomas Lukaszuk, needs to collect almost 300,00 signatures on a petition that asks, “Do you agree that Alberta should remain within Canada?”
In an update on social media on Wednesday, Lukaszuk expressed confidence that the campaign will be able to collect enough signatures, but he also urged people to continue to sign the petition because he expects some of the signatures collected will be rejected.
“No one really knows (how many signatures we have) because a large number of petitions haven’t been delivered yet, but we are getting really, really close, we know that for sure,” said Lukaszuk.
“Now we need to get over that bump, because we know that some signatures will inevitably be rejected for one reason or another. So we need at least a 10 to 15 per cent buffer,” Lukaszuk added.
A spokesperson in the office of Alberta’s Chief Electoral Officer says if the petition is successful in gathering the required number of signatures, it would then be referred to the provincial legislature which would refer it to a committee.
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Lukaszuk claims the committee would have two choices: recommend Albertans be given an opportunity to vote in a referendum, or allow MLAs to vote on the petition question on the floor of the legislature.
He says the “right thing to do, both morally and fiscally,” would be to give MLAs a chance to vote.
Lukaszuk is confident if that happens, “the majority will vote in favour” of Alberta remaining in Canada and “this nonsense talk about Alberta separation could cease immediately.”
The Forever Canadian campaign was started as a counter to Alberta separatists, who want a referendum on Alberta independence.
Alberta Premier Danielle Smith has declined to endorse the Forever Canadian campaign, saying instead that she wants to see a sovereign Alberta within a united Canada.
However, both Smith and Justice Minister Mickey Amery have said an opposing question asking whether Alberta should separate from Canada is constitutional and should have been approved by Elections Alberta.
The province’s chief electoral officer referred that question, proposed by the Alberta Prosperity Project to the Alberta Court of Kings Bench, for a judicial review of whether it violates the Canadian Constitution, including treaty rights.
The deadline for Lukaszuk to deliver his Forever Canadian petition to the province’s Chief Electoral Officer is Oct. 28.
–with files from The Canadian Press.
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