Vancouver, British Columbia – The Prime Minister of the Petroleum Province of Canada de Canada Alberta He said Monday that he will celebrate a referendum on the separation of Canada next year if a request directed by Citizens reaches the required number of signatures.
Speaking in a live broadcast address, Danielle Smith He said that she personally does not support the province that leaves Canada and expressed the hope of a “forward path” for a strong and sovereign alberta inside a United Canada.
“If Ottawa, for any reason, continues to attack our province as they have done during the last decade, ultimately, that will be for Albertanes to decide,” he said. “I will accept your judgment.”
Smith’s announcement occurs only one week after Prime Minister Mark Carney took the Liberal Party to a Fourth consecutive federal government. It also occurs when the president of the United States, Donald Trump, continues to threaten Canada with tariffs and talk that the country becomes state 51.
Carney and Trump are scheduled To meet at the White House on Tuesday.
Smith’s united conservative government recently introduced legislation that, if approved, would reduce the lawyer that petitioners must meet to trigger a provincial referendum.
The bill would change the referendum rules initiated by Citizens to require a petition signed by 10 percent of eligible voters in a previous general election, below 20 percent of the total registered voters. Applicants would also obtain 120 days, instead of 90, to collect the 177,000 required signatures.
Smith accused the previous federal liberal governments of introducing different laws that Alberta’s hamstrings to produce and export oil, which she has cost to the province billions of dollars. He also said he does not want the federal government to be entrusting into provincial matters.
“We don’t ask for special treatment or brochures,” he said. “We just want to be free to develop and export that incredible wealth of resources we have. Freedom to choose how we provide medical attention, education and other social services necessary to our people, even if done differently than what Ottawa has in mind.”
Smith has met with Carney and said that “he had some promising things to say about changing the direction of his government’s anti-resources policies.”
Smith said his government will appoint a negotiation team to try to end federal policies that have long irritated the province for a long time. It will also preside over a “Alberta Next” panel that organizes a series of municipalities to listen to ideas and complaints from Alberta.
John Soroski, a political scientist from Macewan University in Edmonton, said that while there is anger in the province, he is not sure if he will lead to the vote to separate.
“These complaints are serious,” he said. “I think the perspectives of separation are very unlikely.
Quebec’s great French -speaking province celebrated referendums in 1980 and 1995 about separation. Both failed.
Soroski said Smith could be following the leadership of Quebec politicians who have used the threat of separation when dealing with the federal government.
“I don’t see that Smith wants separation, but I think it is very useful for the province to have in its back pocket the idea that there is a large number of discontent shelters,” he said.
Smith said he will work with Carney “in good faith” but that he wants “tangible test of real change.”
