Alberta legislative committee votes to send pro-Canada petition issue to provincial cabinet

citizens committee get together on Alberta referendum petition descends into topsy-turvyness

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The committee members have now passed a motion to send the Forever Canadian petition question to cabinet, recommending it go to referendum. 

A man in the gallery stands up and walks out saying, "Shame on you. Shame on you. Traitors."

A security guard grabs the man and pulls him out of the committee room.

Pancholi brings up the massive data breach currently under investigation after a pro-separation third-party obtained the provincial list of electors, and how it raises questions about whether a fair referendum can proceed given that an actor on one side of the issue has that data.

Pancholi then says she wants to hear from UCP members about their justification for the motion recommending the petition go to referendum.

Ellingson says “we have not one word from this government today" on this motion.

NDP Opposition House Leader Christina Gray says the government is "absolutely hell bent on having a referendum." She says the committee should consult Indigenous groups now, or the courts will force them to do it.

Ellingson then quotes from a news release this morning from Treaty 8 (which partly includes northern Alberta) that refers directly to this committee's process and their concerns about separatist discussion. We’re not conflating, Ellingson said.

He said it’s "ludicrous" to talk about the future of Alberta’s place in Canada without including First Nations people.

Schow says the NDP MLA's arguments are repetitive and that it doesn't get them any closer to making a decision efficiently on the motion.

Gray says the government has not engaged in debate with the substance of the amendment.

When it goes to a vote, the government-dominated committee ends up defeating the amendment to consult with Indigenous groups before ordering a referendum.

NDP MLA Court Ellingson is proposing an amendment before the committee.

He says consultation with Indigenous people is glaringly obviously missing from the motion. He proposes that the government consult with seven named Indigenous groups and any others affected by the referendum proposal before ordering a referendum.

Ellingson said the court struck the separatist petition down because of a failure to consult.

"Let’s not make that mistake again," Ellingson said. "This committee was brought forward to take the time to have those conversations."

The Athabasca Chipewyan First Nation in northern Alberta — one of the communities that successfully challenged the separation petition in court — issued a news release earlier today saying the government has never replied to background information they had sent about treaty land history, nor have they been invited to speak to the committee.

Edmonton-Whitemud MLA Rakhi Pancholi says it is critical there be consultations before a referendum is ordered, or this question is likely to end up challenged back in court. 

Government House Leader Joseph Schow says Pancholi is conflating the Stay Free Alberta pro-separation petition — which was invalidated by the court — and Lukaszuk’s petition.

Schow says the NDP members are stalling the committee’s ability to vote on a matter of importance to hundreds of thousands of people who signed the Forever Canadian petition. He said the NDP is engaging in "vain repetition."

Pancholi countered that the government members seem to think an hour to debate a referendum on separation is "too much" for them.

She said they don’t even want to hear the concerns of Indigenous people. She says this is a constitutional issue, and she wants to know if Indigenous Relations Minister Rajan Sawhney, who is attending by Zoom, thinks consultation is necessary.

Since the Forever Canadian petition came before this committee last month, UCP and NDP MLAs have debated whether the intent of Lukaszuk’s petition was to have a policy debate, prompt a vote of MLAs in the legislature, or prompt a referendum.

The government maintains Lukaszuk, and even some NDP members, want a referendum.

Both today and yesterday, Finance Minister Jason Nixon quoted Lukaszuk’s videos, interviews and social media posts, pointing to his desire to have the question go to a province wide vote.

Lukaszuk has said he actually wants a vote in the legislature and that a referendum would harm the economy.

MLAs have moved on to discuss a motion that Technology and Innovation Minister Nate Glubish tabled yesterday. 

His motion recommends that cabinet calls a referendum based on Lukaszuk's petition, but — as the NDP MLAs point out — it doesn't specify the question nor what options/answers people will have to choose from.

Glubish is not present at today's meeting.

The committee's chair, UCP MLA Brandon Lunty, was quoted in the premature release about the Forever Canadian petition that went out from the party yesterday.

The Opposition NDP called for a point of privilege — saying a serious breach of procedure had occurred — and suggested Lunty step down as chair. The UCP-majority committee refused to refer the matter to the speaker.

Today, NDP MLAs have asked on what basis Lunty made his ruling and why he is continuing as chair after the privilege breach.

UCP MLAs are pushing back, saying their comments are out of order.

The chair says he dealt with the matter yesterday and they need to move on.

Smith is expected to make an address to the province later this evening, around 6:45 p.m. MT.

Her address is expected to outline an approach to calling a referendum about Alberta's place in Canada. It also comes mere hours after shuffling about one-quarter of her cabinet ministers.

In her remarks during the cabinet swearing-in ceremony in Calgary earlier today, Smith didn't mention Canadian unity.

Committee meeting on Alberta referendum petition descends into chaos

Wednesday’s meeting of the select special citizen initiative proposal review committee took a turn.

The governing UCP caucus sent out a news release mid-meeting that presumed the outcome of the committee’s vote — before it happened.

The meeting ended after NDP members of the bipartisan committee refused to vote in favour of continuing past the meeting’s end time. 

The committee reconvenes at 2 p.m. MT. We'll have live coverage on this page.

I’ve been covering the Alberta legislature since 2019.

An all-party legislative committee is meeting for a second time today to consider a petition in favour of Canadian unity. The committee is convening again after yesterday’s meeting descended into procedural chaos.

The legislature appointed the committee to consider what to do with a citizen petition filed by former Alberta cabinet minister Thomas Lukaszuk.

He started the Forever Canadian petition last year as a pre-emptive strike to try to stave off any pro-separation petition that might prompt a referendum.

Elections Alberta verified that around 404,000 Albertans signed sheets proposing the policy question: “Do you agree that Alberta should remain within Canada?"

Lukaszuk has accused United Conservative Party MLAs of stalling his application. But after a court struck down a separatist petition for a lack of consultation with First Nations, the Forever Canadian petition might be Premier Danielle Smith’s only vehicle to get a citizen-led question about separation onto October’s referendum ballot.

Meanwhile, Premier Danielle Smith is expected to make a televised address tonight at 6:45 p.m. MT.

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