Alberta separatist petition cleared for signature verification
A court has allowed counting of signatures to proceed on a petition calling for an Alberta independence referendum, though further hearings remain.
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Alberta's top court has allowed signature verification to proceed on a separatist petition while a fuller legal challenge continues.
Court of Appeal Justice Alice Woolley issued a partial stay Monday of a lower court decision that had quashed the independence petition. The lower court had ruled that Alberta's chief electoral officer failed to properly consult First Nations before processing it.
Woolley said chief electoral officer Gordon McClure may now verify signatures and report the results publicly — but cannot take additional steps toward putting a referendum question to voters. Separatist leader Mitch Sylvestre claims to have collected 301,620 signatures, well above the 177,732 required.
The judge found that allowing verification "causes no significant harm" to First Nations challenging the petition, "while avoiding irreparable harm" to separatist campaigners. She also noted that Alberta is already planning a referendum on October 19 exploring voter preferences on the central issue: whether Alberta should remain part of Canada.
The rest of the lower court's decision quashing the petition remains in effect pending a full appeal hearing.
