Alberta MLAs asked how they'll vote on separation — here's what they said
Cabinet ministers back Premier Smith's pro-Canada position; backbench UCP MLAs stay silent, defer to party line.
All 26 Alberta cabinet ministers individually backed Premier Danielle Smith's support for keeping Alberta in Canada ahead of October's separation referendum, while 21 backbench UCP MLAs declined to publicly state their voting positions.
Postmedia asked every member of the United Conservative Party caucus how they intended to vote on the referendum's central question: whether Alberta should remain a province or hold a binding referendum on separation.
Cabinet ministers responded with variations of a unified statement asserting that "700,000 Albertans have signed one of two petitions requesting a referendum." More than 400,000 verified signatures came from the "Forever Canadian" petition, with roughly 300,000 additional (unverified) signatures from the "Stay Free Alberta" separation petition.
No backbench MLAs responded to multiple requests sent to their constituency offices. Instead, the UCP caucus issued a statement through chief government whip Brandon Lunty saying the party supports "a strong and sovereign Alberta within a united Canada" and that "now is not the time to give up hope."
On Wednesday, Smith reiterated the party's official position during a radio interview, stating the UCP's founding principles support Alberta's autonomy within Canada.
The October 19 referendum will include ten questions alongside the separation query, giving Albertans multiple issues to weigh.