Alberta NDP will not formally participate in Forever Canadian petition drive

The Alberta NDP will not formally participate in the Forever Canadian petition drive.

On Monday, I asked the Opposition Party how it expected to interact with former Progressive Conservative Deputy Premier Thomas Lukaszuk’s effort to ensure the question on a referendum on Alberta’s future in Canada reads, “Do you agree that Alberta should remain in Canada?” 

Yesterday, NDP Caucus Press Secretary Kirk Heuser responded: “We have no connection and are not collaborating.”

There was no statement from party Leader Naheed Nenshi on the topic, and Mr. Heuser had no further comment on the matter. 

Last night, Mr. Lukaszuk provided a statement in response.

“‘Forever Canadian’ is a non-partisan citizen-led group, made up of Canadians of variety of political affiliations and those who don’t engage in politics at all,” he said. “We all have one goal in common – opposing any form of separatism and ensuring that Alberta remains a strong part of Canada.

Former Progressive Conservative Deputy Premier Thomas Lukaszuk, the man behind the Alberta Forever Canadian petition drive (Photo: David J. Climenhaga).

“We have invited Members of Legislature, Members of Parliament and municipal officials to engage and show leadership by participating in collecting signatures for our petition,” Mr. Lukaszuk’s statement continued. “We are thrilled that many current and former politicians already embraced our initiative. 

“After all, it only makes sense. The vast majority of Albertans are proud Canadians and it is expected that our elected officials show leadership by protecting Alberta’s place in Canada. Now is that existential moment when talking and listening isn’t good enough. It is time to roll up our collective sleeves and collect the required 300,000 signatures and send a strong message to the rest of Canada and to the world that Canada cannot be divided by a group of separatists.”

One expects the NDP’s decision will be controversial. 

While Mr. Heuser provided no further explanation, it’s not hard to imagine some of the reasons NDP activists and some members of the Opposition caucus might not be enthusiastic about the idea despite having clearly positioned the party as the pro-Canadian alternative to Premier Danielle Smith’s United Conservative Party, which has been encouraging an Alberta separation referendum. 

For one thing, there may be concern about breaking Legislature rules about supporting outside citizen groups while campaigning for re-election – not that the UCP seems likely to be troubled by such considerations. 

For another, like any party, NDP insiders are partisan and may see risks in supporting a campaign by a politician associated with another party. And gathering 293,976 signatures by Oct. 28. is a very steep hill to climb, made more difficult by a plethora of rules designed to make it hard for “citizens initiatives” to succeed, including only six signatures permitted on each petition page with each sheet having to be notarized as properly collected.

Alberta Premier Danielle Smith (Photo: Government of Alberta).

Given its timing, thanks to a policy change pushed through by Ms. Smith’s government, an anti-Canadian question proposed by the so-called Alberta Prosperity Project will require only 177,000 signatures to get on the ballot next year. 

Historically, in the United States, such campaigns have been easy to manipulate and have led to bad policy with lasting effects – which is exactly why Ms. Smith wants a vote on the question proposed by a separatist group with ties to the U.S. MAGA movement. So NDP strategists may well fear the risks of the petition outweigh any potential benefits. 

On the other hand, the risk of lending at least quiet support to Mr. Lukaszuk’s group seems relatively low for the Opposition, and there are certainly NDP MLAs who have pushed for that. A big turnout, even if it falls short of the required total, will be seen as a blow for the UCP and the separatists it has been courting.

I expect that we will soon hear from some NDP figures who call for a stronger role in the Forever Canada campaign. Whether Mr. Nenshi will be prepared to speak publicly on the topic remains to be seen. 

In the meantime, Mr. Lukaszuk says the group has signed up more than 8,000 volunteers from all parties as well as individuals with no party affiliation to collect signatures and collected about 27,000 signatures in their first two days. More information about the campaign is found on the Forever Canadian registration page.