Juno News - May 03, 2025


Alberta opens the door to separation


Episode Stats

Length

10 minutes

Words per Minute

150.53387

Word Count

1,579

Sentence Count

105

Hate Speech Sentences

2


Summary


Transcript

00:00:00.000 Alberta's United Conservative Party has dramatically lowered the threshold to trigger a referendum,
00:00:16.000 making it far easier to force a province-wide vote like the separation movement we're seeing
00:00:21.200 pick up steam. Speaking of the Alberta UCP, the party set a non-election year record
00:00:26.560 by tripling the Alberta NDP's funding in the first quarter. During her congratulatory message to
00:00:32.160 Prime Minister Mark Carney, Alberta Premier Danielle Smith called for a quote,
00:00:36.880 reset with Ottawa and Albertans flooded the replies of her social media posts calling for separation.
00:00:44.240 Also, what happened in Alberta during the federal election? My name's Isaac Lamoureux and I'll cover
00:00:49.760 all of these stories and answer these questions on the Alberta Roundup today. Let's hop into that
00:00:54.320 first story now. Alberta's provincial government has dramatically lowered the bar to trigger a
00:00:59.040 referendum, making it easier for citizens to force a province-wide vote on major issues including
00:01:04.640 Alberta's relationship with Canada. Alberta Premier Danielle Smith and Justice Minister Mickey Amory
00:01:10.720 announced Bill 54, the Election Statutes Amendment Act, this week. This was one of the many changes
00:01:17.120 introduced that the province said would quote, protect democracy, deliver fair and open elections,
00:01:22.960 and increase confidence in every vote cast. Smith said quote, we are expanding opportunities for
00:01:29.520 Albertans to be involved in direct democracy by making changes to the threshold needed for
00:01:34.400 successful citizens' initiatives. Democracy is the foundation of our freedoms and the source of
00:01:39.760 legitimacy for governments at every level. It must be protected, strengthened and defended.
00:01:46.000 Most importantly, the legislation drops the required number of petition signatures from 600,000,
00:01:51.920 which was based on 20% of all registered electors in the province to just 177,000,
00:01:58.480 which is based on 10% of ballots cast in the last general election. It also extends the time to
00:02:04.320 collect signatures from 90 to 120 days. The suite of changes introduced includes banning electronic
00:02:11.440 tabulators and automated voting machines, requiring votes to be hand counted, removing vouching at voting
00:02:17.760 stations, updating the recall act by lowering the threshold and extending the time frame to collect
00:02:22.640 signatures, and more. The recall act formally required that a petition be signed by at least
00:02:28.640 40% of all registered electors in the riding. Now, the threshold has been changed to 60% of total electors
00:02:35.920 who voted in the electoral district's most recent election. The previous recall petition launched
00:02:40.640 against Calgary Mayor Jyoti Gondek received 72,271 signatures, well below the 514,284 signatures
00:02:49.200 required at the time. But per the new regulations, only 235,854 signatures would have been required
00:02:57.440 to recall Gondek. Moving quickly, recognizing that Albertans have important issues that they'd like to
00:03:02.720 be heard, and having the opportunity to have those referenda take shape quickly is important to us.
00:03:08.160 It's entirely appropriate to provide the rules around a citizen's initiative and, where one is successful,
00:03:13.920 do everything that we can to make sure that Albertans have an opportunity as quickly as possible to
00:03:19.120 review the question and make a decision about that. He added that mail-in ballots will now be
00:03:24.240 usable for voting in constitutional referenda. While the province says it is not pushing for an
00:03:29.840 independence referendum, Smith made clear the path is open if citizens initiate the process. She said,
00:03:36.000 quote, I believe in Alberta's sovereignty within the United Canada. However, there is a citizen-initiated
00:03:42.000 referenda process that if citizens want to put a question on a ballot and get enough of their fellow
00:03:46.960 citizens to sign that petition, then those questions will be put forward. Some nonpartisan groups have
00:03:53.200 already advocated for a referendum. When I first wrote that article on Wednesday, a petition from the Alberta
00:03:59.200 Prosperity Project had around 93,000 people registered, which had already increased from
00:04:04.080 80,000 that morning and 60,000 the day before, but then by Thursday morning, that number had already
00:04:09.840 climbed to over 121,000 registrants, and the number continues to climb rapidly, and some are predicting
00:04:16.560 that it could surpass 200,000 by this weekend. Once more than 177,000 signatures are collected,
00:04:23.920 the group plans to present the petition to Elections Alberta for approval and Canvass to collect the
00:04:29.520 signatures within the now 120-day timeline. Alberta could be voting in a referendum to separate shortly.
00:04:37.040 Moving on to our next story now, where we'll take a quick look at how the Alberta UCP is setting
00:04:42.000 fundraising records. The United Conservative Party of Alberta said that Albertans are standing behind
00:04:47.600 Premier Smith and that the numbers prove it. The party announced that for the first quarter of 2025,
00:04:53.040 it raised $3.29 million, more than triple the Alberta NDP's $1.07 million. The party told True
00:05:00.320 North that this was the strongest show of support for any party recorded in a non-election year.
00:05:05.680 A party spokesperson said, quote, Under Nahid Nenshi's leadership,
00:05:09.520 the NDP is falling behind. Even Rachel Notley was able to raise more. The party said it enters the next
00:05:15.920 quarter with nearly $8 million in total assets, while the Alberta NDP reported under $1.6 million at the
00:05:22.880 end of last year. Smith commented on the fundraising as well. She said, quote,
00:05:28.000 The NDP's anti-Alberta, pro-Ottawa agenda continues to be rejected by Albertans at every turn.
00:05:34.640 A mere 6% of the federal vote, and now this is great news. I will always put Albertans first.
00:05:41.200 No apologies. She thanked all the Albertans who chipped in and said it shows belief in
00:05:46.160 her party's work, which is protecting jobs, keeping taxes low, and standing up for Alberta.
00:05:51.760 Now sticking with Smith for our next story, she congratulated Mark Carney for his election victory
00:05:56.800 on Monday, but warned that Alberta would not tolerate continued hostility. She said the last
00:06:02.320 decade of liberal rule has made the whole country, quote, weaker, more divided, and overly dependent on
00:06:08.320 the United States. Conversely, she said Conservative leader Pierre Polyèvre's vision inspired millions
00:06:14.720 to see the unique potential of Canada. Smith said, quote, While Liberals and New Democrats demeaned and
00:06:20.240 demonized Albertans, our values and our industries for political gain, Mr. Polyèvre made empowering
00:06:26.400 Albertans and our energy sector a cornerstone of his campaign. His respect and admiration for
00:06:31.840 Albertans could not have been clearer. He is, and continues to be, a true friend of Alberta.
00:06:37.920 She added that Albertans remain frustrated that the federal government, which has attacked her
00:06:42.160 province's economy, has returned to power. Smith has previously cited various policies that hurt her
00:06:48.160 provinces and, in fact, the whole country's economy, such as Bill C-69, the oil and gas emissions cap,
00:06:54.480 the net zero car mandate, and the clean electricity regulations. The premier posted her congratulatory
00:07:00.800 message on X, Instagram, and Facebook. All three posts saw similar themes develop,
00:07:07.200 that the comments were flooded with replies calling for separation. The top comment on X said, quote,
00:07:13.440 It's time to stop with the Stockholm Syndrome, congratulating our abusers and celebrating our
00:07:19.120 captivity in a rigged system. It's time to fire Ottawa. It's time to free Alberta. It's time for the
00:07:26.240 full firewall. It's time to establish a rapid pathway to an independent Alberta. The most liked comment on
00:07:32.320 Facebook saw a similar theme. It reads, quote, Let's start the referendum. It's clear the West is not
00:07:38.240 represented by the federal government. Our electoral system is so corrupt that by the time votes in the
00:07:44.400 East are counted, our vote doesn't mean anything. Get ready to sign the divorce papers. Similarly, the most
00:07:52.400 liked comment on Instagram reads, quote, Stop equalization payments now. Start the referendum for
00:07:58.320 separation. Become an independent, strong, and sovereign republic. Considering the changes to the
00:08:04.160 referendum legislation, Smith will be able to leave the separation movement to Alberta residents as the
00:08:09.600 petition quickly ramps up in support and is close to gathering enough signatures to surpass the threshold
00:08:14.800 at which point a referendum would take place. For our last story today, we'll quickly break down the Alberta
00:08:20.960 results from the federal election. In the entire province, two seats went to the Liberals. Calgary
00:08:26.720 Confederation, where the party edged out the Conservatives by just under two points, and Edmonton
00:08:31.680 Centre, which had a larger lead. One seat, unsurprisingly, went NDP, that being the NDP
00:08:37.920 bastion, Edmonton Strathcona, which has been under NDP rule since 2008, both federally and provincially.
00:08:45.200 In fact, provincially, the NDP has held the seat since 1997, and Rachel Notley has held it since 2008.
00:08:52.480 So 34 out of 37 Albertan ridings belonged to the Conservatives. However, the election was called by most media
00:08:59.440 companies before the votes in Alberta were even counted, given the influence of the seat count in Ontario,
00:09:05.120 Quebec, and the Maritimes. However, Alberta was not the most conservative province, as Saskatchewan had
00:09:11.600 all but one seat go to the Conservatives. Only one riding in Saskatchewan belongs to the Liberals.
00:09:18.080 Like Smith, Saskatchewan Premier Scott Moe called for the Feds to deliver the change that Saskatchewan
00:09:23.840 clearly voted for. He similarly called for a, quote, reset, and hoped that the province and the Feds could
00:09:30.320 work together in developing and changing existing policies to turn Canada into an energy superpower,
00:09:36.720 as Mark Carney has promised. If the Alberta Separation Movement does proceed, it will be
00:09:41.840 interesting to see how Saskatchewan positions itself. That wraps up this week's show. My name's Isaac
00:09:47.200 Lamoureux, your host of the Alberta Roundup. Have a great weekend, thank you, and God bless.
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