Elections Alberta receive a petition for Alberta independence on Monday. The verification process is currently on hold until the provincial court rules on the compatibility of the petition with First Nations treaty rights.
The electoral authority confirmed that it had received the petition: “A referendum related to Alberta’s independence,” and signature sheets of a pro-sovereignty Stay free, Alberta. The group told The CBC reports that it has collected over 301,000 signatures, well above the 178,000 threshold. The proposed referendum will ask voters: “Do you agree that the province of Alberta should cease to be part of Canada in order to become an independent country?”
On April 10, Judge Shaina Leonard of the Alberta Court of King’s Bench granted interim approval remainthereby disqualifying Chief Electoral Officer Gordon McClure from reviewing the petition. She accepted that the lack of consultation would cause irreparable harm to First Nations Athabasca Chipewyan First Nation, My Maid Nation, Siksika NationAnd Bloodlineand contractual relationships if the stay had not been granted. The First Nations welcomed the decision. Once suspended, review cannot take place until the court decides on judicial review.
There are further doubts about the legitimacy of the petition. On December 6, 2025, the same court ruled that the referendum proposal was unconstitutional. Justice Colin Feasby found the proposal did not guarantee Charter, Aboriginal and treaty rights to the same extent as the proposal Constitutional Law, 1982 offers. However, there is a change Citizens’ Initiative Act (CIA) came into force on December 11th. It deletes the provision requiring a referendum proposal to be compatible with the above-mentioned constitutional rights. A transitional provision also ensures that the change applies to the referendum proposal that preceded the change. Leonard granted the stay, agreeing that the constitutionality of the CIA, the applicability of the interim provision, and the effect of the prior ruling were all serious issues that needed to be decided.
On the other hand, a pro unit Forever Canadian claimed they had already received over 404,000 signatures in support of the province remaining in Canada.
Related to this is elections in Alberta investigate a violation of the voter list. The authority announced on April 30th revealed that the Republican Party of Alberta give the list to a sovereign Centurion Project Ltd. provided that then published the list. While the province Electoral law Although it allows political parties to access the list, sharing the list with third parties is strictly prohibited. They had until May 4 to identify all the people responsible.
McClure said The agency was unable to investigate earlier due to the recent investigation Electoral Statutes Amendment Act, 2025raised the threshold from “justification” to “reasonable reasons”. So does the provincial privacy commissioner, Diane McLeod said Alberta Personal Data Protection Act does not regulate political parties. Both called for reforms to their enabling statutes to strengthen accountability.
