An Alberta legislative committee reviewing the “Forever Canadian” petition abruptly adjourned after controversy erupted over a news release that appeared to announce the outcome of a vote before it had actually taken place.
The bipartisan committee was meeting to discuss whether a referendum question supporting Alberta remaining in Canada should be included in the province’s upcoming referendum process. However, confusion broke out when the governing United Conservative Party (UCP) issued a statement prematurely describing the committee’s decision and including quotes from committee chair Brandon Lunty before members had finished debating or voting.
Opposition members criticized the incident, calling it inappropriate and raising concerns about transparency and the integrity of the process. The meeting later ended without completing its planned work. (globalnews.ca).
he petition asks if signatories support the question, “Do you agree that Alberta should remain in Canada?”
Lukaszuk and his volunteers successfully collected more than 400,000 signatures, exceeding the nearly 294,000 required by legislation for a question to be considered for a referendum.
Lukaszuk has said he wants his question to go to a vote in the legislature, a message he repeated during his first appearance before the committee on Wednesday.
UCP members of the committee challenged Lukaszuk on that point by providing examples from media reports where he suggested his question should go to a referendum.
Speaking to reporters after the meeting, Lukaszuk said he believes the UCP is trying to make it look like he is calling for a referendum.
He said the government’s own Citizen Initiative Act doesn’t give a proponent a choice on how to deal with a successful petition.
“It’s up to the government to decide whether they want to have a referendum or not. They don’t need my permission,” Lukaszuk said.
“But as we saw in this committee, they really were trying hard to get me to answer their question and give them as if it was a permission to have a referendum.”
Lukaszuk said Smith could call her own referendum, which she has been reluctant to do so far.
“If the premier wants to be a proponent, and wants to go into history books as the first premier in Alberta who has, by her own choice, put a question on separatism to Alberta referendum, she can do it,” he said.
“But she doesn’t need me or anyone else to be complicit in that. She can do it by herself.”
Jeff Rath, a lawyer and supporter of Stay Free Alberta, said on social media Wednesday morning that if Smith puts the Forever Canadian question to a vote, “she will be betraying her base in favour of [Prime Minister Mark] Carney.”
