Thomas Lukaszuk says Danielle Smith is now joining the ranks of René Lévesque and Jacques Parizeau simply because Alberta may hold a referendum related to Confederation.

That comparison collapses the second you look at the facts.

Lévesque and Parizeau were actual separatist premiers leading explicitly separatist parties whose stated political goal was breaking Quebec out of Canada. They campaigned for independence, governed for independence, and used referenda as direct vehicles to achieve independence.

Danielle Smith is not leading a separatist party. She has repeatedly stated she personally supports Alberta remaining in Canada.

And the referendum now being discussed is not even a direct vote on separation, but a vote on whether Alberta should begin the constitutional process required before any future binding referendum could ever occur.

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In fact, the irony here is almost impossible to ignore: Thomas Lukaszuk himself helped create the referendum situation he is now blaming on Smith.

Lukaszuk launched the “Forever Canada” citizen initiative petition specifically to force a province-wide vote affirming Alberta should remain in Canada. He gathered more than 400,000 signatures doing it.

Alberta, let this sink in:

In Canadian history, only 2 premiers initiated referenda on separating from Canada:

- René Lévesque 1980
- Jacques Parizeau 1995

Both Quebec separatists who nearly destroyed Canada.

Today, Danielle Smith will join their ranks.#ableg #cdnpoli pic.twitter.com/qeloPV9sMn

— Hon. Thomas A. Lukaszuk (@LukaszukAB) May 21, 2026

Now he appears outraged that a referendum may actually happen.

Lukaszuk spent months demanding a referendum and now accuses someone else of being a dangerous separatist because voters might be allowed to participate in one.

Oh Marni. Why do you lie?

Here was the petition. It clearly calls for a REFERENDUM. https://t.co/QZsIY0EfwR pic.twitter.com/YnhrOAtjS6

— Blaine Badiuk (@BlaineBadiuk) May 21, 2026

And unlike Quebec’s 1980 and 1995 votes, Smith’s government is not presenting a unilateral sovereignty project backed by a governing separatist movement. Quebec’s referenda were organized by the Parti Québécois specifically to negotiate Quebec independence from Canada. 

That is simply not what is happening in Alberta today.

What’s actually happening is this:

Hundreds of thousands of Albertans signed petitions on both sides of the issue because frustration with Ottawa has reached historic levels. Even Reuters noted this would be the first vote of its kind outside Quebec, emerging from widespread anger over federal environmental and energy policies targeting Alberta’s economy.

Lukaszuk may dislike the political consequences of opening the referendum door, but pretending Danielle Smith is Jacques Parizeau because she refuses to block citizen-led democratic processes is more political theatre than historical analysis.

And if referenda themselves are suddenly illegitimate or dangerous, someone should probably tell Thomas Lukaszuk, because he spent the last year collecting signatures to trigger one.