The former politician who gathered more than 456,000 signatures to keep Alberta in Canada says he watched first-hand Tuesday as the legislature committee tasked with a review continued to strangle the democratic process.
Thomas Lukaszuk, a former deputy premier leading the Forever Canadian initiative, said he’s not surprised but it’s “bizarre” the committee, led by governing United Conservative Party members, shut down a proposal to soon hear from him directly.
“It shows pure cynicism and disregard for this democratic process,” he said.
Lukaszuk said Premier Danielle Smith’s UCP is playing a “cynical, political game” to give a separatist petition, currently gathering signatures, a leg up on putting their question on an October ballot.
“For lack of a better term, the process is a sham,” Lukaszuk told reporters after observing the committee’s first meeting Tuesday.
The committee was struck in early March to discuss Lukaszuk’s “Forever Canadian” petition, after its signatures were verified and its policy proposal was tabled in the legislature in early December.
Lukaszuk said it’s disheartening the government has been ignoring the voices of nearly half a million people “from the beginning.”
UCP members on the committee also voted down an Opposition NDP motion to wrap up its work before the legislature rises in a few weeks, saying they didn’t want to rush it.
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Indigenous Relations Minister Rajan Sawhney told the committee that being overly prescriptive in setting dates was irresponsible, since government officials need time to prepare technical briefings to present.
“The voices of Albertans are very important to the government,” she said.
Social Services Minister Jason Nixon said the committee may or may not need to hear from Lukaszuk.
“We don’t know it yet. This is cart before horse,” he said in the meeting.
The legislature is expected to rise on May 14 for the summer.
Stay Free Alberta petitioners have until May 2 to collect signatures for a referendum on separating the province from Canada, although organizers have already said they’ve surpassed its 178,000-signature threshold.
Smith has said that question could be added to a referendum, with nine government questions, slated for Oct. 19.
The legislature is not set to meet again until Oct. 27.
NDP deputy leader Rakhi Pancholi, who sits on the committee, said the UCP has slow-walked the committee’s work since December, and she doesn’t believe it will move forward in a timely fashion.
“They’re willing to put off hearing from Thomas Lukaszuk as long as possible. I mean, we’re still at the mercy of the chair to decide when this next meeting is going to be,” she said.
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She said she believes it’s all to avoid a vote in the house that would answer whether or not the UCP denounces separatism.
“If (Smith’s) afraid to have that vote in the legislature, it’s because she’s afraid of what she’s going to have to tell Albertans about who her party is, what they value, what they support, and that many of them support separatism,” said Pancholi.
Committee chair and UCP backbencher Brandon Lunty told reporters he’s going to make sure they can co-ordinate a schedule as soon as possible, but he didn’t commit to a deadline.
He said the legislature committee is the first of its kind.
“Obviously there’s an urgency. There’s an understanding that, again, we had 400,000 Albertans as part of this process. And as legislators, this is the way that we can make sure that we’re listening to those voices,” said Lunty.
Smith has long said her government supports a sovereign Alberta staying in Confederation. But she has also made it easier for groups to hold a referendum on quitting Canada by changing the law, including to lower the signature threshold.
In late March, Smith said questions needed to be cleared up on whether Lukaszuk’s petition drive was about triggering a provincewide referendum or a vote by legislators in the house.
“I think we need to hear from Mr. Lukaszuk,” she said.
Lukaszuk said the committee refused to hear from him, despite being given the opportunity.
“I think that (Smith) enjoys being confused, because being confused plays very well into her game,” he said.
He said he filed his petition as a policy proposal, because he wants it to be resolved in the legislature by a vote. But his group is preparing, if the premier calls a referendum on the issue, he said.
“We have never seen a larger mandate demanding that this question be asked on the floor of the legislature. And I have no idea why UCP MLAs are so reticent, so hesitant to vote on such a clear question: ‘Do you agree that Alberta should remain in Canada?'”
So we are supposed to have one question on the referendum “Do you support independence” and another question “Are you against independence”? Maybe just having one question would do the job?
But I guess that wouldn’t be acceptable to foreign born Thomas Lukaszuk. And talking about Lukaszuk, since he was born in Poland, does that make him ‘foreign influence’?
@Jen
Your solution to the UCP letting Albertans vote on their future us to remove a legitimately elected Premier from office?
Tell me you’re a fascist without telling me you’re a fascist.
Tomas keeps forgetting that a true democratic process is to ask everyone’s opinion, not just the Lib/Dip bootlickers.
The problem is Thomas that once we have now gathered our signatures we can get a better look at the big picture of Alberta! You see you asked for signatures to stay with the status quo and our petition asks all Albertans do we really want to stay with tge status quo so in all reality we are after the exact same thing and answer to bot of our questions! Should we stay or go! So once we have our answer on October 19th or sooner “yes to stay No to start the independent March and get out” we will finally have an answer to both of our questions ! So buckle up Thomas and quit bitchilng about being so hard done by and get ready to vote, but remember your side is supporting Mark Carney and the liberals our side supports Conservatism
And change for a better future for all Albertans!
Oh the poor government workers and special interest groups that signed the Forever Canada petitions are scared they are going to lose and are having a tantrum like a 4 year old.
Talking about shams, notice the video about Forever Canada moving boxes of referendum results around. Little old ladies picking up two boxes. A bankers box full of paper weights about 30 pounds. Those boxes were probably empty if an old lady could swing around two at a time.
The 2021 Alberta equalization referendum asked voters whether Alberta should remove the principle of equalization payments from Canada’s Constitution.
Result:
Yes: ~61.7%
No: ~38.3%
So I expect that the referendum on seperation will be around the same.
Lukaszuk is the sham!
THE PROVINCE OF QUEBCE, GOVERNS CANADA. NOT THE FEDERAL GOVERNMENT.
QUEBCE HAS LONG BEEN A THORN IN CANADA’S SIDE WHEN IT COMES TO TAKE AND NOT GIVE. ALBERTA’S ISSUE IS GENUINE, BUT QUEBEC IS AT THE HELM
I AM A CANADIAN FOREVER, BUT I’M ALSO HELPLESS DO SAY OR DO ANYTHING TO SUPPORT IT.
AS LONG AS THE WICKED WITCH OF THE WEST AND HER FINANCIERS GO UNCONTROLLED, THE UGLIER IT GETS.
You’re telling me the separation movement managed the 170,000 signature mark, when the staying in Canada signatures are near 500,000?
That’s utter nonsense. Of all those o know I have yet to hear of someone who has signed to stay or even knew there was a signature campaign.
I think you are bloating numbers for optics.
Lukaszuk is muddying up the waters by pretending like the rules for collecting signatures are the same for both sides. Anyone could sign his “petition”, while many rules apply to the other side, such as strict residency requirements and address verification before one can sign.
Ah, Connie Breuing,
“spelling etc mistakes” ?
That should be “spelling mistakes, etc.”
Or preferably “grammatical errors “.
So tell me, when are you moving to the United States to assist with Alberta’s I.Q. increase ?
The Federal Government is making a “Sham” out of the entire country.In fact they mastered it within the first year of Trudeau’s reign and have been working diligently to ensure the “Sham and the Scam” continue to operate at peak levels.
In fact it is the only thing they have any skills at.
“Hands Up”
Those wanting to separate should just separate and leave for the US – they would fit in perfectly and would not be missed here in Alberta. And the IQ average would increase drastically judging by the spelling etc mistakes… lol
“When asked if they would vote for their province to begin the process of separating from Canada and seeking a new agreement to define its future relationship with the country, approximately three in 10 residents of both Alberta (28%) and Quebec (31%) say yes. This includes those who say they would definitely or probably vote yes, and those who say they would lean toward voting yes.
However, new Ipsos research which “stress-tested” these sentiments by introducing real-world consequences reveals that actual committed support for separation is roughly half these levels in both provinces, with only 15 to 16% of Albertans and Quebecers maintaining their support after considering possible costs. This means that for roughly half of separatist supporters in both provinces, independence is more a political message than a plan they are prepared to endure costs to achieve.”
Ipsos January 23/26
Forever Canadian!
#canadastrong
Where and how can we sign the “Forever Canada” petition?
Someone give me one reason to stay in this dumpster fire
Lukaszuk is traying hard to be relevant, but he is not !!!!
It’s not a popular movement. So why are we even talking about it then? Why is every single mainstream news outlet covering the story every day? Answer: The people are speaking up and the establishment is clearly terrified. Alberta is about to break away from the agressor. The failed crumbling country will no longer be our problem. Man is it satisfying watching the fringe cult scramble over this inevitable result.
Smith is pandering to the small fringe extremists in the province while everyone else is ignored. Is there some way the feds can remove her from office before she gerrymanders the next election? The UCP is genuinely dangerous now.
hey try this. i wish they would just do that. majority voted for them that’s a mandate they should never had those alberta next panels. they should just have pulled us out of cpp and start the process of sovereignty within a united canada. im voting to leave either way like alot of people but why have panels when you won a majority. libs and ndp dont bother asking the people.
We need a liberal provincial government.
Why bother with Lukaszuk, he got 400,000 or so government workers and special interest groups signatures verses 2.6 million working Albertans supporting separation.
Forever Canada is starting to get violent. Cigarette put out on a Stay Free Alberta canvassers face, SWATTING attacks. Alberta separatists never did that to Forever Canada canvassers.
oh those UCP types. not doing what the NDP tell them to do. The horror of it all. The NDPcould try going to court like our fine feathered owners are trying to do. LOL
Same UCP methods. No consulting us on making the Sheriffs permanent, then trying to turn them into provincial police. No consulting us on making naive version of history the one taught in schools. No consulting us on privatising health care. Consulting us on Daylight Savings time, then ignoring us. – Just like Trudeau’s Liberals, doing what they want, not what the public wants.