Alberta separatists deliver boxes of petitions at a rally outside the offices of Elections Alberta in Edmonton earlier in May.Todd Korol/Reuters
An Alberta judge has struck down a petition for an independence referendum in response to a legal challenge by First Nations.
Justice Shaina Leonard of the Court of King’s Bench has issued a ruling on Wednesday that quashes a decision by the province’s chief electoral officer to approve separatist leader Mitch Sylvestre’s question on independence.
But that approval should have never happened, Justice Leonard ruled, partly citing the Crown’s failure to consult with First Nations.
Alberta separatists last week submitted more than 300,000 signatures to Elections Alberta, but the case had prevented the agency from counting the signatures.
More to come.