Political rhetoric is ramping up ahead of a planned fall referendum in Alberta.
“Our view is Danielle (Smith) needs to make a decision: Is she going to support Mister Lukaszuk, or is she going to support her base? What we are saying is she needs to understand that if she abandons her base or betrays her base, there will likely be political consequences.”
That’s the threat from Jeffrey Rath, lawyer for the Alberta Prosperity Project, the group that said it collected more than 300,000 signatures on a citizen’s petition calling for a referendum on the province’s independence from Canada.
However, the petition, which proposed the question: “Do you agree that the province of Alberta should cease to be a part of Canada to become an independent state?,” was recently rejected by the courts over a lack of consultation with First Nations.
Instead, in an effort to appease party’s supporters, many political analysts expect Smith to call a referendum on the question asked in the Forever Canadian petition.
That petition, which was spearheaded by former Alberta MLA and deputy premier Thomas Lukaszuk, asks, “Do you agree that Alberta should remain within Canada?”
“It’s not the question that the separatists want because it’s an affirmative question,” said Mount Royal political scientist Duane Bratt.
“It’s a positive question. But it’s better than having no referendum question.”
He expects Smith to announce her plans during a paid, province-wide television address on Thursday.
However, Alberta’s journey toward holding a fall referendum vote on separation took a bizarre turn Wednesday, when a bipartisan committee meeting of MLAs established to review Lukaszuk’s question imploded after UCP caucus sent out a premature news release announcing the vote had taken place and the motion had passed.
For Rath, choosing to put the pro-Canadian question on a referendum ballot amounts to a betrayal of the many Albertans who are separatists, but chose to support Smith as leader of the UCP.
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“I think people within the UCP, you’re sick and tired of being lied to. Danielle promised that if we jump through the hoops, and if we got all the signatures and did what we were supposed to do, our question would be on a ballot this fall,” Rath said on Wednesday.
“We’re tired of being lied to by this premier about the fact that she has our interests at heart, because it’s clear that she doesn’t.”
To the political analysts Global News spoke with, the threats to Smith’s job are very real.
Feo Snagovsky, assistant professor of political science at the University of Alberta, said while Smith has done a “really good” job of managing the sometimes conflicting demands of separatists and federalists within the UCP, those issues are now coming to a head.
“We know that close to a majority, if not a majority, of supporters of the UCP support Alberta becoming an independent country — and the other half does not,” said Snagovsky.
“All the public opinion polling we have available to us suggests that it still remains a minority position among Albertans, and she’s facing this tension between trying to stay responsive to the general electorate and the popular will, on one hand, and on the other hand trying to make sure that she retains her job and she stays responsive within her political party.”
Other political observers agree.
“It’s a pressure cooker and heavy is the head that wears the crown,” said Michael Solberg, who is a partner at New West Public Affairs and admits to being a card-carrying member of the UCP.
“I think the premier probably wakes up every day with extraordinary new challenges that she has to face from members of her caucus, the Opposition and now certainly the far fringe of her party — which is increasingly becoming the majority of her party, at least per the threats coming from groups like Jeffrey Rath is leading,” Solberg said.
“I don’t want to discount the risks to the premier that the separatist groups have, especially if they start buying up all the memberships, but the premier is no slouch,” Solberg added.
“She’s a fighter. There’s a lot of institutional strength behind her, and I think people who underestimate her do so at their own peril.”
If Smith does call a referendum on the “Forever Canadian” citizen’s petition, Rath said separatists are already planning their attempt to oust the premier — as was done with her predecessor Jason Kenney.
“We’re asking all of the people that signed (our) petition and all of our canvassers to organize themselves to sell memberships across the province, because if our question is not put on a ballot by the end of the month, we’re going to be organizing a special general meeting of the of the United Conservative Party for August,” Rath said.
Eby is a self serving hippocrite and not on Team Canada
Eby now bootlicking Carney for funding. Absolutely hilarious and total hypocrisy.
How is UNDRIP working for BC? Wasn’t it Eby who championed it for the BC NDP Government.
Vancouver liar: You can’t read obviously. You get lost on the wrong page?
Rustad loser fan….LOL
Smith pandered to these extremists. You make your bed, you sleep in it.
Eby is the worst Premier with his far left socialist ant business Govt.
Danielle is basically as right wing as that guy in Germany was and cowboys think she’s too far left. Nutcases hats on too tight.
She’s the worst premier by far.
Looks good on her after she made a career of betraying people.
F U needs a shrink.
MR. RATH IS NOT A CANADIAN. I SUGGEST HE EMIGRATE TO THE USA ANS SOON AS A SWIFT KICK AVAILS HIM.
HE IS NOTHING BUT AN AGITATORED AND SHOULD BE DISBARRED, FROM ALL CANADIAN JUSTICE SYSTEMS WITH IMMEDIATE EFFECT.
Yes, take her.
Dear Separatists, please move back to Ontario, already.
Oust her, she’s no good anyway you are locking: left, right, or center. People are dying while waiting in emergency rooms (in any normal country, the government would had take responsability and resigned in shame). And OUR priority is a f#@ing idiotic referendum. Flash News: Independent Alberta is never gonna happen!
Oh my goodness, provincial politics has turned into a circus. BC and Alberta…holy feck. What a fascist quagmire. And tickled and tweaked by the grand manipulator, Cornhole Carney.
Has anyone else noticed that Carney is the face of the Canadian government? There are no other faces but his in the news lately.
No LeBlanc, no Champagne, no Joly. No Anand until today. Just a hint of PP.
Its all been Carney and his weird shaped head and bad teeth. And his hunch back.
Smith needs to do the right thing and step down. She’s done enough damage.
F*ck I hate Canadian politics. The politicians are so damned crooked.
BC losers you need to mind your own business. just because BC is full of bums and leech sucking boomers ,don’t expect Alberta to support your lazy asses
Rath, and his sidekick
Parker, are the worst possible spokespersons for Alberta separatism.
As the face of the movement, they aren’t able to articulate anything other, than a cowboy persona. They have absolutely no credibility, and drag any discussion into the mud.
And NOW evidence of the inbreeding….I mean in fighting…begins! Good luck BC conservatives…this is your future!