Alberta's independence movement heats up as over 300,000 petition signatures officially submitted
Alberta Prosperity Project CEO Mitch Sylvestre told supporters outside the Elections Alberta office earlier this week that 301,620 signatures calling for a referendum on independence had been collected.
On Wednesday's live stream, hosts of The Critical Compass podcast, Mike and James, joined Sheila Gunn Reid and Lise Merle to discuss the rise of Alberta's independence movement after over 300,000 signatures supporting a referendum on separation were submitted.
Alberta Prosperity Project CEO Mitch Sylvestre announced to supporters outside the Elections Alberta office on Monday that 301,620 signatures supporting a province-wide referendum on independence were now in the hands of the provincial government.
Under Alberta law, roughly 177,000 petition signatures are needed to trigger a referendum — 10% of the number of people who voted in the last election.
Mike described why it's important to remember that despite some Indigenous groups opposing the independence movement, it still remains a small minority. "There's this notion that the Indigenous groups are a monolith, and they all believe the same thing and they all are opposed to independence," he said.
"When really, it's a very small minority of some chiefs that are trying to make it seem like asking a question about the constitution is unconstitutional in and of itself. I'm actually quite surprised that our courts are paying this as much reverence as they are," Mike continued.
James also commented on the rise of the independence movement, noting its increasing momentum. "This is not the only pathway, this citizen petition. Danielle Smith could just call an election at any time," he said.
"So there's a lot of political pressure for something to happen, even if it's held up in courts. The signatures themselves were weighed, Mitch signed off on them, and then they were sealed. So if there's any discrepancies later on, they have that evidence," Mike added.
Supporters of the independence movement now await official verification by Elections Alberta, a process that could take weeks amid ongoing court challenges related to treaty rights and procedural issues.
The referendum, tentatively scheduled for October 19th, still faces a few obstacles, including the outcome of ongoing litigation.
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