Alberta separation petition faces May deadline for nearly 178,000 signatures as Smith says MLAs are free to
Latest news on WhatsApp أجدد الأخبار على واتسابAlberta Premier Danielle Smith says members of her governing caucus are free to sign any citizen-initiative petition they choose, as a separatist campaign seeks enough names to trigger the next step in a provincial referendum process.
The citizen-led petition drive, organized by a separatist group, must collect nearly 178,000 signatures by May to meet the procedural threshold, according to Canadian media coverage.
If the petition reaches that target, the next move would fall to Alberta’s justice minister to refer the matter to the lieutenant-governor to initiate the formal referendum process under the province’s citizen-initiative rules, the reports said.
Alberta’s election authority, Elections Alberta, said it issued the citizen-initiative petition on Jan. 2, 2026 for a constitutional referendum proposal titled “A Referendum Relating to Alberta Independence,” allowing organizers to begin collecting signatures within the legal framework.
