NDP says consultations show Albertans not in favour of separating

NDP Deputy Leader, Rakhi Pancholi, speaks with Alberta Primetime host Michael Higgins about the potential separation referendum

NDP Deputy Leader, Rakhi Pancholi, speaks with Alberta Primetime host Michael Higgins about changes the provincial government is calling on Elections Alberta to make to the referendum process.

This interview has been edited for clarity and length

Michael Higgins: How do you view the dialogue now playing out here over this proposed referendum question on separation?

Rakhi Pancholi: We have seen that the premier and the justice minister are very motivated to put this separatism question before Albertans, and their motivation has nothing to do with what’s best for Alberta and what’s best for this province.

They are obviously being driven by a small part of their base who they’re trying to keep happy. They’re trying to prevent their political party from splitting, and because of that, they’re going to put this very serious question, which the majority of Albertans do not support. We know that from time after time looking at polling, but they’re doing this, they’re putting it forward.

They’re putting our economic certainty and stability at risk right now in this province, and they’re doing it all to save their own political hides. I wish I could say that I was surprised to see that the premier and her minister of justice are trying to put political pressure on an independent actor. In most times that would be very shocking, but we have seen this premier do this over and over again.

She is inappropriately trying to exert political pressure on the chief electoral officer, who is an independent officer of the legislature, and how he exercises the very authority that the UCP government gave the chief electoral officer two months ago when they brought forward Bill 54.

It’s completely inappropriate for the government to be doing this, and this is what we see them doing over and over again.

MH: How much of a line then do you see the government crossing here?

RP: I feel like we’re getting desensitized, which is very unfortunate. We see what’s happening down south in the United States with Donald Trump, undermining the rule of law, undermining democratic institutions. Clearly Premier Danielle Smith thinks that it’s okay for her to do the same.

This is really inappropriate, and it’s no different than when she tried to apply political pressure on prosecutions that she didn’t want to see go forward. We know her government has been playing games with the auditor general’s investigation into the corrupt care scandal. We know previously the UCP fired an elections commissioner who was looking into allegations of wrongdoing with the UCP, and now we see this premier interfering with the chief electoral officer doing what I must say is really important work.

The premier is treating it quite trivially, this idea of this separatist referendum, but it’s a really significant issue. It affects treaty rights, it affects our economic future in this province, it affects mobility.

It’s incredibly impactful and yet she feels like this should be rushed forward and the chief electoral officer should be told what to do and what not to do. That should be completely unacceptable in a democracy, and it is unacceptable to Albertans.

MH: How far do you see the government taking its position here? Or is this one and done? Just a matter of making a point and leaving it at that?

RP: The legislation, Bill 54, that the UCP introduced in the spring makes it very clear that the chief electoral officer has this authority to refer a question to the courts to determine whether or not a referendum question is a breach or would contravene the Constitution.

In the legislation it says that matter must be set down before the courts within 10 days and a decision will be issued. At that point, then they can move forward. So this is barely really going to stall the process, but the fact that the premier has already significantly tried to make it easier for this kind of referendum to go forward, we know that the whole purpose behind Bill 54 in the spring was to lower the threshold, the number of signatures that were required to get a referendum on separation, to extend the timeline, to make it easier for that to happen.

She’s expressed this inappropriate interference on social media. The minister of justice will have an opportunity to present any concerns he may have on this issue before the courts.

This is not about the political process. This is about her trying to throw a bone to her political base, to get them all riled up, to undermine the legitimacy of the chief electoral officer and to potentially undermine the role of the courts. This is all about her playing fast and loose with our democratic institutions, with the rule of law, so that she can continue to keep the separatists in her party close to her.

MH: What do you consider to be riding on the opinion that will come from the Court of King’s Bench? Where does that leave discussions over this particular question on separation?

RP: I think it’ll be interesting to hear what the court rules on this. The very act that the UCP has introduced says that any referendum question can’t contravene sections 1 to 35.1 of the Constitution. That importantly includes aboriginal and treaty rights. We’ve already seen First Nations in Alberta raise their very significant concerns about any conversation around separatism because that may and very likely will be a violation of treaty rights.

So that, I’m certain, is going to be part of the conversation when the court is considering this referendum question and really it may determine whether or not this question can go forward at all.

Having conversations about separatism impacted the Quebec economy for decades. It meant that head offices and banks were fleeing Montreal, were fleeing Quebec, because it was an uncertain and unstable province. What the premier has already done by making it easier to have this referendum has already started to create that instability.

My caucus colleagues and I were just at the Calgary Stampede talking to lots of people in the oil and gas sector and we’re seeing that impact happen already. We’ve heard the CEO of ATCO speak out about that uncertainty that has significant impacts. This is not a lightly held decision, and whatever the courts say is going to be very significant for how things move forward.

MH: The Chief Electoral Officer, Gordon McClure, now issuing the petition for the Alberta Forever Canada citizen initiative. That means the group led by former Deputy Premier Thomas Lukaszuk can now begin collecting signatures.

As the opposition, what are you watching for where those efforts are concerned? Does your party play a role?

RP: I’ve been knocking on doors all across this province, as have my colleagues. Over the summer, we’ve been initiating our own process called the Better Together Summer. We’ve got a website up where we’re going to do what we do all the time, which is engage Albertans where they are in their community.

We’re talking about the things that matter to them. I can tell you, when I’m knocking on doors and I’m talking to folks, I see Canada flags everywhere this issue of separatism comes up. Proud Albertans are proud Canadians as well.

Albertans are very concerned that this conversation around separatism, not only is it against what they want to talk about, they want to focus on issues related to having a resilient economy going forward, they want to talk about cost of living, that comes up all the time at the doors.

They want to talk about the impact this government has had on public health care and public education, how they’re tearing those systems apart. These are the priorities for Albertans, and they’re frustrated that the current government, that Danielle Smith, her ministers, are not focused on those issues.

I’m not surprised to hear that there is a referendum going forward on staying within Canada, I think that’s where most Albertans hearts are at. We’re going to keep doing what we do, which is holding these town halls, engaging with Albertans in their communities, listening to their priorities, and making sure that those are the interests that we’re forwarding, both in the legislature and across the province.