The “Forever Canadian” citizen-initiative petition is moving through Alberta’s direct-democracy process after receiving approval from Elections Alberta earlier this year. The initiative asks Albertans if they agree that the province should remain part of Canada, marking one of the most high-profile petitions launched under the province’s citizen-initiative legislation.
Elections Alberta approved the petition on June 30 and issued official signature sheets on July 30. Because the application was filed before new legislative amendments took effect, the campaign must gather 293,976 valid signatures — equal to 10 per cent of eligible provincial electors — within a 90-day period that ends on Oct. 28. According to Elections Alberta’s published guidance, verified signatures must come from physical, handwritten forms, as electronic submissions are not permitted under the legislation.
The petition is organized by former deputy premier Thomas Lukaszuk and a volunteer network that has set up signing locations in communities across the province. Public events have taken place in locations such as Cochrane, Lethbridge and St. Albert, where canvassers have collected signatures at markets, community centres and other high-traffic areas. The group leading the initiative states on its website that more than 456,000 signatures have been collected, although Elections Alberta has not publicly confirmed that total and will conduct its own verification once the petition is formally submitted.
The petition asks a single question: should Alberta remain part of Canada?
Organizers of the petition describe it is a response to ongoing discussions about Alberta’s sovereignty and separation — discussions that have grown traction since Alberta Premier Danielle Smith publicly declared her readiness for a referendum on separatism. Furthermore, they state the response to the petition demonstrates Albertans’ public support for remaining in Confederation.
On Oct. 28, during the second session of the 31st Legislature in the province of Alberta, Rakhi Pancholi, deputy leader of the Alberta New Democratic Party (NDP) and Joseph Schow, member of the United Conservative Party (UCP) discussed the petition, as found on page 59 of the Alberta Hansard.
Pancholi discussed how the petition puts Smith “in a pickle” as the citizens are being very vocal about their position on separatism. Schow noted that “the Premier has always been clear and will continue to be clear […] that Alberta believes as a province in being sovereign within a united Canada.”
Under Alberta’s Citizen Initiative Act, once signature sheets are submitted, Elections Alberta will begin a verification process to ensure the threshold has been met. If the initiative is validated, the proposal will be forwarded to the Legislative Assembly, which may debate the measure, adopt it as a policy proposal or choose to take no action. The legislation also permits the possibility of a province-wide referendum depending on how the government responds.
Elections Alberta has not set out a specific timeline for verification beyond confirming that the process will begin only after organizers submit completed signature sheets. Until then, no official numbers will be released. The next stage of the petition will depend on the final count, the legislature’s response and any further steps taken under Alberta’s citizen-initiative framework.