Alberta's new referendum rules officially take effect
Beginning Friday, the number of signatures needed for citizens to initiate a province-wide referendum is dropping, including on separation.
The new threshold is 177,000 signatures collected within four months.
People who want to stay in Canada and those who want Alberta to leave have already started applying for petitions.
The Alberta Prosperity Project, a non-profit group promoting independence, plans to launch one under the new rules.
At the same time, Thomas Lukaszuk, former progressive conservative deputy premier, is working to stop that effort.
He argues separation would threaten the Canadian, as well as the Alberta economy, the treaty rights for First Nations, and would have many other negative consequences.
On Monday, Elections Alberta approved Lukaszuk's application to undertake a petition for the province to declare its official policy is to remain within Canada.
Since Lukaszuk applied before the new rules took effect, he'll need to collect 600,000 signatures, but he said he's confident that enough Albertans would sign their name.
Smith's government introduced Bill 54 quickly after Carney's election win, but said it would have been proposed regardless of the outcome.
Smith has said she wants Alberta to stay in Canada and is blaming federal policies for the separatist sentiment.
Citizen initiative petitions can be found on the Elections Alberta website.
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Former deputy premier Thomas Lukaszuk speaks with Alberta Primetime host Michael Higgins about his pro-Canada referendum application being approved by Alberta's Chief Electoral Officer. This interview has been edited for clarity and length. Michael Higgins: Are you already collecting signatures? Thomas Lukaszuk: No, we're not. There is a process in place. The chief electoral officer now has to decide whether the old rules, or the rules created for separatists by Danielle Smith, will apply to me. He will make that decision, and then we will take it under consideration whether we agree with it or not, and then I have 30 days to appoint a chief financial officer. The moment I appoint a chief financial officer, the clock starts ticking for collecting signatures. We don't know which clock yet, whether it be it'll be the 90-day clock under the old rules, or the 120-day clock created for separatists. MH: How much hangs on this July 4 implementation of the new legislation? 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