On May 5, Forever Canada leader Thomas Lukasuk said the movement to secede from Canada is “a form of treason” and something “most of us Albertans and Canadians don’t stand for.”

This follows British Columbia Premier David Eby saying it was treason when members of the Alberta Prosperity Project went to the United States to discuss Alberta’s independence movement with American officials.

Canada has a legal framework in place for any province to pursue independence from Confederation through a democratic referendum as per the Clarity Act. It is irresponsible and incorrect to accuse anybody of treason for acting within those parameters.

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To commit treason in Canada would involve using force or violence to overthrow the government, or (without lawful authority) sharing military/scientific secrets with a foreign state that could harm Canada’s defence.

Peaceful petitioning, public rallies, citizen initiatives under Alberta law, referendum advocacy, and even political meetings/lobbying with foreign officials (like U.S. representatives) involve none of these.

Premier Eby and Thomas Lukaszuk are chilling free speech and legal political advocacy by falsely accusing law-abiding advocates of committing a serious crime.

Their inflammatory use of terms like treason misleads the public and escalates tensions between Alberta citizens.