Citizen petition collects signatures to keep Alberta in Canada

Albertans can now sign a citizen-initiated petition aimed at keeping the province part of Canada.

Elections Alberta approved the Alberta Forever Canada application on July 30, allowing volunteers to start collecting signatures on the petition. The application was triggered by talk of a possible referendum on Alberta separation.

The legislative or policy proposal application asks for a referendum question reading: “Do you agree that Alberta should remain in Canada?”

Former Progressive Conservative deputy premier Thomas Lukaszuk submitted the application before new Bill 54 rules came into effect in early July, which lowered the required number of signatures from approximately 294,000 to 177,000. Because his submission predates the change, his campaign must meet the higher threshold within 90 days.

Lukaszuk said his team’s focus is now on mobilizing thousands of volunteers to help collect signatures across the province.

"Our main priority is to gather nearly 300,000 signatures in 90 days. It’s really as simple as that,” he said. “We need a lot of volunteers, canvassers across Alberta, collecting signatures at farmers markets, door knocking, in shopping centres, public events.”

A competing pro-separatist application, submitted by Mitch Sylvestre, is currently before the Court of King’s Bench to determine its constitutionality. That application proposes a referendum question reading, “Do you agree that the Province of Alberta shall become a sovereign country and cease to be a province in Canada?"

Lukaszuk's campaign has recruited around 6,000 volunteers so far, but he said many more are needed in both large cities and small communities. He named Edmonton, Calgary, Medicine Hat, Lethbridge, Red Deer, Grande Prairie and Fort McMurray as key areas. 

Lukaszuk said volunteers are collecting signatures at the St. Albert Farmers' Market and will continue to do so in the coming weeks. He added his website will be updated regularly to show where volunteers will be located across the province.

Despite feeling that it's unfair to have to operate under the old rules, Lukaszuk said his team is focused on meeting the requirements.

“At the end of the day, it is what it is,” he said. “We have to get twice the number of signatures that separatists would have. We have to collect those signatures in half the time. And we also have much tighter fundraising rules.”

Lukaszuk criticized the separatist petition for failing to meet legal standards, saying his team carefully reviewed legislation and court rulings before submitting their question.

“These guys ... they don’t like rules,” he said. “They think that because they’re unhappy, none of that should apply to them. Unfortunately, in a civil society, you have to follow rules.”

He said many Albertans are eager to sign his petition.

“There’s no shortage of people who want to sign it,” he said. “Our challenge is getting the petition into their hands.”

Lukaszuk said the campaign is also about showing unity in Canada and shifting the focus of provincial politics.

“We want to send a clear message to the rest of Canada and the world that we are not divided,” he said. “We want the premier to stop threatening separation and get back to governing this province.”

In a previous interview, Lukaszuk said his appreciation for Canada drives his passion for the campaign.

“I am a refugee. I immigrated to Canada when I was 12 years old, and there isn’t a day that I don’t appreciate this country for what it is and how great it is.”

Gerard Kennedy, associate professor and associate dean of law at the University of Alberta, said the petition is largely symbolic. 

“It is more symbolic than anything else,” Kennedy said. “Unless you were to propose a constitutional amendment, which would be very hard.”

He said he doesn’t believe this petition would stop others in the future from petitioning to leave. 

“A few years from now, someone could try to run a petition that says precisely the opposite,” he said. “Now they might be disincentivized to it if this one is successful, but I don't see how future Albertans would be bound by the result of a referendum that purports to have Alberta forever stay in Canada.”

Kennedy said if a separation petition were successful, Alberta wouldn’t just leave Canada immediately, but start a discussion about the process. 

“Suppose it were successful, a clear majority of Alberta is in response to a clear question,” said Kennedy. “Say they want to leave Canada. I don't think it's very likely, but let's just say it did happen. All that would do is it would start a negotiation process about the terms of the departure.”