A pro-independence movement in Alberta says it has gathered enough signatures to trigger a referendum
Stay Free Alberta activists have submitted almost 302,000 signatures to election authorities in a bid to trigger a referendum on whether Canada’s oil-rich western province should leave the country.
A convoy of trucks delivered the signatures to the Elections Alberta office in Edmonton on Monday, as more than 300 supporters gathered outside, waving provincial flags and chanting “Alberta strong.”
The figure is well above the 177,732 signatures required under Alberta’s citizen-initiative rules, equal to 10% of the total number of votes cast in the previous provincial election.
Electoral authorities have yet to verify the signatures for the petition, dubbed “A Referendum Relating to Alberta Independence,” to move forward. The initiative was organized under the “Stay Free Alberta” banner and backed by the Alberta Prosperity Project, a pro-sovereignty nonprofit.
The proposed question asks: “Do you agree that the Province of Alberta should cease to be part of Canada and become an independent state?” The activists hope it will be added to a planned provincial referendum ballot in October.
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