Thomas Lukaszuk's Unity Bus rolls through Okotoks region next week to promote federal unity

Thomas Lukaszuk's "Unity Bus" is bringing his federalist campaign to the Okotoks region next week as part of a provincial tour aimed at encouraging voter participation in an October 19 referendum asking whether Alberta should remain in Canada.

Lukaszuk, former deputy premier of Alberta and leader of the Forever Canadian initiative, is travelling the province to promote unity and informed voting. On August 3, he will be at High River's George Lane Park from 5 to 7 p.m. On August 4, the bus stops at the Okotoks Recreation Centre from 10 a.m. to noon, followed by Diamond Valley's The Stop Coffee House from 2 to 4 p.m. The tour then continues to Cochrane for an evening stop.

Mari Daunt, an Okotokian who volunteers with Forever Canadian, emphasized the tour's non-partisan approach. "The whole thing is about Forever Canadian, and that's his goal," Daunt said. "We're not there to discuss referendum questions."

When speaking to Lakeland This Week during an earlier stop, Lukaszuk stated his position plainly: "I am not proposing anything new. This country has been around for over 150 years and it's one of the best countries in the world."

The federalist initiative comes as competing voices shape the referendum debate. Elections Alberta reports that over 400,000 people signed a petition started by Lukaszuk asking "Do you agree that Alberta should remain in Canada?" Meanwhile, Mitch Sylvestre, a leader of Alberta's independence movement, launched a competing petition asking if Alberta should become an independent state—that petition collected about 223,000 verified signatures.