UCP MLA pushes for separation referendum in op-ed; premier stands by previous statements

Alberta‘s parliamentary secretary for constitutional affairs is pushing for a separation referendum to happen.

Jason Stephan recently said the referendum would be “good for Alberta.”

Stephan also said signing the petition for the referendum is “different from the referendum vote itself.”

The UCP MLA for Red Deer-South made the comments in a recent op-ed for The Western Standard.

“Signing the petition supports your right to vote and decide on the objective merits, yes or no,” he wrote.

“I invite Albertans to act and sign the petition and invite all who love freedom and prosperity to do the same.”

Stephan went on to say, “If Albertans do not act, there will not be a vote.”

“This referendum will hold Ottawa accountable, provide an opportunity for civil and honest discourse in the public square, and let the truth prevail,” he wrote.

The op-ed went live on the publication’s website Friday morning.

It doesn’t indicate whether Stephan himself has signed the separation petition.

Stephan was first elected to the legislature in 2019 and re-elected in 2023. He was appointed the province’s parliamentary secretary for constitutional affairs last year.

In a Friday afternoon statement, Premier Danielle Smith’s office said “individual MLAs are welcome to differ in their personal opinions, but the positions of the government and caucus are clear.”

“The premier has always been clear that she, the Alberta government and our United Conservative caucus support a strong and sovereign Alberta within a united Canada,” wrote press secretary Sam Blackett.

“This means Alberta remaining a province of Canada while advancing provincial autonomy and fighting to undo Ottawa policies that harm Albertans and intrude on our constitutional rights.

Meanwhile, Friday in Halifax, Prime Minister Mark Carney was asked at an unrelated event about a referendum about Alberta separation influencing investor certainty and stability.

“Yeah, it can have an effect,” he said.

“What do we do about it? We do our job. I think the first thing is we do our job, which is we respect where federal responsibilities are (and) we work with the provinces co-operatively.”

“You don’t try to avoid controversy. You want to go straight to the heart of the issues.”

In Alberta’s case, Carney said “the heart of the issue” is “the pipeline.”

He said it’ll come down to “showing that the federation works.”

“It has a huge, immediate payoff if we get it right,” he said.

“We’re making good progress with Alberta. There’s more to be done, but we’re making very good progress.”