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5mo ago

Alberta Court Weighs Bid by First Nations to Halt Independence Petition

The case tests Alberta’s new referendum rules that removed constitutional screening.

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An Alberta flag at the entrance to the signature collection area outside the Big Four Roadhouse in Calgary on Jan. 26, where organizers gathered signatures for a petition calling for an Alberta independence referendum.
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Overview

  • First Nations launched a court bid Tuesday before Justice Shaina Leonard to suspend the citizen petition for an Alberta independence vote.
  • Sturgeon Lake Cree Nation argues a secession referendum would breach Treaties 6, 7 and 8, and Athabasca Chipewyan and the Blackfoot Confederacy seek to void Elections Alberta’s approval.
  • Alberta says the harms cited are speculative and that the petition law is neutral, while separatist organizers plan to argue to keep collecting signatures.
  • Stay Free Alberta says it has met the roughly 178,000-signature bar ahead of the May 2 verification deadline, and Premier Danielle Smith says she will put the question on the Oct. 19 ballot if the count holds.
  • The fight follows December rule changes that moved petition approval to the justice minister and stripped constitutional screening, as a rival pro‑Canada petition with more than 450,000 verified signatures waits for a committee review on April 21.