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