A referendum already scheduled for Oct. 19, set to include immigration and constitutional questions, will now include the question: “Should Alberta remain a province of Canada or should the Government of Alberta commence the legal process required under the Canadian Constitution to hold a binding provincial referendum on whether or not Alberta should separate from Canada?”
“It’s time to have a vote, understand the will of Albertans on this subject, and move on,” said Smith in a filmed address.
Smith assured voters of the 5 million-strong province that the “government will respect the outcome and direction received on all of the referendum questions being voted on.”
She did, however, add that her own personal vote will be for Alberta to remain in Canada, citing her hope to “work each and every day to restore and strengthen provincial rights under the Canadian constitution.”
Separatists have been campaigning for a vote in Alberta for many months, but met a roadblock last week when a judge ruled to halt the referendum petition in favor of a bid put forward by indigenous First Nations groups, who said they were not properly consulted.
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