Juno News - Alberta opens the door to separation

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.

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 0.99

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 0.52

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.

00:10:01.040 Thanks.

00:10:05.440 Thank you.

00:10:06.960 Thanks.

00:10:07.200 Thanks.

00:10:08.240 Thanks per now.

00:10:09.360 Thanks.

00:10:10.160 Thanks.

00:10:11.360 Thanks.

00:10:12.820 Thanks.

00:10:13.360 Thanks.

00:10:14.760 Thanks.

00:10:16.880 Thanks.

00:10:19.880 Thanks.

00:10:21.880 Thanks.

00:10:21.940 Thank you.

00:10:23.280 Thanks.

00:10:24.180 Thanks.

00:10:25.620 Thanks.

00:10:26.080 Thank you.

00:10:27.280 Thanks.

00:10:28.740 Thanks.

Juno News - May 03, 2025

Alberta opens the door to separation

Episode Stats

Summary

Transcript