Alberta Prosperity Project gets all-clear to collect separation petition signatures

The group petitioning for a referendum question on Alberta separation has been given the green light to begin canvassing for signatures.

The group petitioning for a referendum question on Alberta separation can begin collecting signatures as early as Saturday, Elections Alberta says.

The province’s chief electoral officer has issued petition signature sheets to the Alberta Prosperity Project, a group seeking an answer to the question of whether the province should leave Canada to become an independent state.

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The group now has until May 2 to collect 177,732 signatures, or 10 per cent of the total number of votes cast in the 2023 provincial election.

The project’s communications team said it planned to start collecting between Jan. 5 and Jan. 10, giving Elections Alberta time to process the registration of their canvassers.

“While we will not commence actual signature gathering (Jan. 3), we are fully prepared to ramp up immediately following certification,” read a press release Friday.

“Our methods will include door-to-door canvassing by thousands of dedicated volunteers across every community in Alberta, town hall meetings, and public events to engage supporters.”

The petition, dubbed A Referendum Relating to Alberta Independence, asks: “Do you agree that the province of Alberta should cease to be a part of Canada to become an independent state?”

The question is a slightly different version of a previous petition asking if the province should become a “sovereign country,” which was subject to a review of its constitutionality in court.

When the United Conservative Party government passed new legislation that amended parts of the Citizens Initiative Act in early December, they rendered the court review moot.

Mitch Sylvestre, head of the Alberta Prosperity Project, reapplied with the new question shortly after those changes.

The new petition with the reworded question was approved by Election Alberta on Dec. 23, with next steps contingent on final confirmation of details, including the group hiring a financial officer.

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With files from the Canadian Press and CTV News Edmonton’s Angela Amato