Alberta bill aims to clear further obstacles to citizen-driven referendum questions
Global News
Alberta's UCP government is changing the rules to make it easier for citizens to force a referendum on issues such as the prospect of the province leaving Confederation.
The Alberta government is clearing more legal hurdles faced by citizens aiming to put referendum questions on a ballot, including the prospect of leaving Confederation.
If passed, a bill tabled Thursday would halt a court proceeding on a pro-separatist referendum question that is awaiting a judicial decision, essentially giving the proponents a fresh start.
Justice Minister Mickey Amery told reporters the bill isn’t being put forward specifically because of that case, but those behind the separation question would be permitted to reapply at no cost.
Amery said it could be thought of as a “reset,” as the government doesn’t want to see citizens looking to participate in the democratic system be slowed down by the courts.
“If those seeking independence believe that they have the support for it, this is their chance to prove it,” said Amery.
The referendum proposal in question, put forward earlier this year by the separatist group the Alberta Prosperity Project, was proposed as: “Do you agree that the Province of Alberta shall become a sovereign country and cease to be a province in Canada?”
It was referred to the courts by Alberta’s chief electoral officer to determine whether the question was constitutional — a move Amery and Premier Danielle Smith had denounced as premature.
The legislation would prevent the chief electoral officer from referring future proposals to the courts, while giving that power to the minister.
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