As Canada prepares Tuesday to blow out 158 birthday candles, Alberta plans three days later to formalize rules making it easier to have an independence celebration of its own.
Beginning Friday, Premier Danielle Smith’s United Conservative government is officially lowering the required threshold for citizens to initiate a provincewide referendum, including on separation.
Mitch Sylvestre, CEO of the Alberta Prosperity Project, a non-profit group touring Alberta promoting independence, says he plans to apply to Elections Alberta that same day to start a petition under the new rules.
The group aims to gather 177,000 signatures within 120 days to put the question on a ballot to voters: Do you agree the province of Alberta shall become a sovereign country and cease to be a province of Canada?
“I would not be surprised if that referendum was held right now that we could possibly even win it,” Sylvestre told The Canadian Press.
People gather in support of Alberta becoming a 51st state during a rally at the legislature in Edmonton.
Jason Franson/ The Canadian Press
He said many Albertans are skeptical Prime Minister Mark Carney will be able to restore trust after federal policies for years siphoned Alberta’s resource riches elsewhere.
At the same time, Thomas Lukaszuk, a former Progressive Conservative deputy premier in Alberta, is working to thwart that separatist effort.
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Lukaszuk, now out of politics, argues that Alberta’s rules do not allow for two competing petitions on the same issue. “There’s only one petition at a time, so mine precludes theirs,” he said.
On Monday Elections Alberta approved his application to undertake a petition for the province to declare its official policy is to remain within Canada.
Since Lukaszuk applied before the new rules took effect, he’ll need to collect 600,000 signatures, but he said he’s confident that enough Albertans would sign their name.
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