Edmonton (Rajeev Sharma): Elections Alberta has approved a proposed referendum question that asks voters whether Alberta should separate from Canada, allowing a citizen-led campaign to begin gathering signatures in support of the idea.
With the approval in place, the Alberta Prosperity Project — the group behind the initiative — is now authorized to launch its petition drive once it appoints a financial officer, a step that must be completed by early January. Signature collection can begin immediately afterward.
The question approved for circulation asks Albertans whether they agree that the province should leave Canada and form an independent country.
This marks the second attempt by the group to advance a referendum on independence. An earlier version of its proposed question was blocked this year after an Alberta judge ruled it unconstitutional. Since then, the provincial government has overhauled the rules governing citizen-initiated referendums.
Earlier this month, the legislature passed Bill 14, which permits citizen initiatives to proceed even if their constitutionality has not been reviewed in advance. Under the new framework, only the justice minister — not the chief electoral officer — may refer a referendum question to the courts. The legislation also gives the minister authority to suggest changes to constitutional questions before they are presented to voters.
Those changes effectively ended the court challenge related to the Alberta Prosperity Project’s original proposal and allowed the group to resubmit a revised question without additional fees.
Project CEO Mitch Sylvestre welcomed the development, saying the group had followed the rules throughout the process and arguing that judicial review should not be a prerequisite for citizens seeking to ask a political question. He said the revised legislation corrected what he views as flaws in the earlier system.
The separatist initiative now enters a competitive landscape. Earlier this month, Elections Alberta confirmed that a separate citizen petition — advocating for Alberta to remain part of Canada — successfully met its signature threshold before the deadline. That initiative, called Alberta Forever Canada, asks voters directly whether the province should stay within Confederation.
The petition was spearheaded by former Alberta deputy premier Thomas Lukaszuk, who has said his aim is to have the question formally debated in the legislature and put to a vote by MLAs. Responding to news of the separatist petition’s approval, Lukaszuk said his group is prepared to challenge the independence movement and make the case for remaining in Canada.
In a statement, Alberta’s Ministry of Justice said the government supports the right of citizens to participate in the initiative process and emphasized that public support should be demonstrated through democratic means.
“If those seeking independence believe they have sufficient backing, this process allows them to test that claim,” the ministry said.
The Alberta Prosperity Project now has four months to collect close to 178,000 valid signatures to qualify its question for the next stage of the referendum process.
