A special legal proceedings opened Thursday before the king’s court, in Edmonton, about the formulation of a question on a possible referendum on the separation or not of the Alberta of Canada.
Mitch Sylvestreleader of the separatist group Alberta Prosperity Projectfiled the following question at the end of July: Do you agree that Alberta becomes a sovereign country and ceases to be a province of Canada?
Last week, the Director General of Elections Alberta, Gordon McClurereferred the question proposed to the court, by asking a judge to determine whether the latter violated the Constitution and the rights from the treaties.
The Prime Minister of Alberta, Danielle Smith, and the provincial justice minister, Mickey Amerycriticized the referral of the question to the courts. They claim that it should be approved and be subject to legal examination only if it obtains the majority of votes during a possible referendum.
We do not yet know how the hearing will take place, and Alberta elections indicates that he cannot make any other comments, because the case is in court.
The separatist group Alberta Prosperity Project is at the origin of the question “do you agree that Alberta becomes a sovereign country and ceases to be a province of Canada?”
Photo : Radio-Canada
Requests to make observations
Several groups, including the first nation of the Chipewyans of Athabasca, in northern Alberta, wish to present observations on the issue.
The government sent a letter to the judge this week Colin Feasbyfrom the court of the king’s bench, which indicates that the minister Mickey Amery also intended to present observations.
The letter specifies that Mitch Sylvestreat the origin of the question, plans to request the rejection of the case and the end of the judicial exam before it begins.
If the question is approved, its initiator will have to collect 177,000 signatures in four months so that it can be subject to the vote.
The insistence of the Alberta government
The government’s letter reiterates that the Minister Amery believes that the question should be approved.
The minister’s position is that the proposal is not unconstitutional and that it should therefore be approved and authorized to move forward
indicates the missive.
The government of any province of Canada has the right to consult its population by referendum on any question and that the result of a referendum on the secession of a province, if it is sufficiently clear, must be considered as the expression of democratic will.
Another question, from the “Alberta Forever” group, already approved by Alberta elections, asked whether the province should officially declare that it would never separate from Canada.
Photo: the Canadian press / Jeff McIntosh
A competing referendum question has been approved by Alberta elections. The latter asked if Alberta should officially declare that it would never separate from Canada.
Efforts to collect signatures for this proposal, presented by the former Progressive Coverer Minister, Thomas Lukaszuk, began last week.
Mr. Lukaszuk must collect nearly 300,000 signatures in 90 days so that his question is registered on the ballot, because his request was approved before the entry into force of the new provincial rules providing for lower signatures.
With Canadian press information