A delivery was made to Elections Alberta on Monday afternoon, consisting of a trailer filled with boxes containing signed petitions advocating for a referendum on Alberta separation. The petitioners of Stay Free Alberta proudly announced that they had amassed 301,620 signatures, well surpassing the required 178,000 threshold for triggering a referendum consideration by the province.
Supporters of the movement congregated outside Elections Alberta, accompanied by a convoy of vehicles proudly displaying Alberta flags, marking the achievement for the group. Mitch Sylvestre, the leader of Stay Free Alberta, emphasized that the significant number of signatures should prompt the inclusion of a separation question on the October referendum ballot, stating that it reflects the engagement of Albertans on the matter.
Addressing the crowd, Sylvestre vocalized a letter directed to Premier Danielle Smith, expressing anticipation for the government to acknowledge the democratic will of Albertans and take necessary actions. He mentioned that approximately 1,500 signatures were still in transit due to issues with Canada Post, which were not part of the final count.
Despite the assurance from Premier Smith to pose the separation question in a referendum upon sufficient and verified signatures, the verification process has been delayed due to a court order following a challenge from a group of Alberta First Nations. Jeff Rath, the lawyer for Stay Free Alberta, asserted that the political significance of hundreds of thousands of signatures cannot be disregarded by the premier, regardless of ongoing legal proceedings.
A separate pro-unity petition named ‘Forever Canadian’ had 404,293 verified signatures in December, advocating for Alberta to remain a part of Canada. The conclusion of the Stay Free Alberta petition coincided with an investigation and court injunction related to the exposure of personal information from the provincial electoral list by another separatist group.
Following approval, Elections Alberta will scrutinize the signature sheets for accuracy, witness verification, and potential duplications. Random sampling will also be conducted to verify the authenticity of signatories and their residency in Alberta. Gordon McClure, the chief electoral officer, disclosed that the verification process will now include detecting fake names planted in copies of voter lists to combat misuse of electoral data.
Rath affirmed that Stay Free Alberta’s signature collection process was meticulously conducted, with every canvasser properly identified, and signatories required to provide identification. The group maintained that their procedures were transparent and in compliance with regulations.