A committee of Alberta MLAs approved a referendum petition on Thursday, asking voters if the province should remain part of Canada. The United Conservative Party (UCP) members outvoted Opposition members during the meeting, allowing the petition to proceed.
The vote came after the UCP caucus prematurely released a statement recommending the referendum before the committee had completed discussions. UCP MLA Jason Nixon later said the release was in error and declined further discussion on the media breach.
Opposition members questioned government representatives about the breach but were not granted an opportunity to discuss it further. NDP MLA Court Ellingson proposed an amendment for consultation with First Nations before any referendum, which was defeated.
Last week, a court ruled a separatist petition led by Stay Free Alberta unconstitutional due to lack of First Nations consultation. The group has appealed the decision. NDP MLA Rakhi Pancholi also raised concerns about a recent data breach involving millions of Albertans’ personal information. Premier Danielle Smith and her cabinet will now review the petition.