Alberta separation question to go to court for review, judge rules

August 14, 2025

RED FM News Desk

A judge has denied an application to quash a review of a proposed Alberta referendum question on separation. Court of King’s Bench Justice Colin Feasby said that a full hearing on the constitutionality of the question would benefit democracy.

Alberta’s chief electoral officer, Gordon McClure, referred the question to the court last month to determine if it violates the Constitution. The question was submitted by a group called The Alberta Prosperity Project, which wants to ask: “Do you agree that the Province of Alberta shall become a sovereign country and cease to be a province in Canada?”

A lawyer for the group argued that judicial scrutiny is premature because there is no guarantee that enough signatures would be gathered to put the question on a ballot. However, Justice Feasby stated that McClure was simply doing his job and following international best practices for administering referendums.

Justice Minister Mickey Amery and Premier Danielle Smith have criticized the decision to refer the question to the court. They have argued that the question should be approved and only face judicial scrutiny if it garners a majority vote in a referendum.

If the question is ultimately approved, The Alberta Prosperity Project would need to collect 177,000 signatures in four months to get it on a ballot.