Forever Canadian Unity Bus rolls into Red Deer
Published 1:15 pm Sunday, May 31, 2026
The Forever Canadian Unity Bus rolled into Red Deer on Sunday, May 31 to encourage people to vote in an upcoming referendum that will feature a question about separation.
Red Deerians came out to the Pines Community Centre, where Forever Canada petition proponent Thomas Lukaszuk and other campaign supporters were handing out Forever Canadian signs.
“Right now we’re identifying supporters and making sure they come out and vote on Oct. 19,” Lukaszuk said.
“People want to show their pride in Canada, so we have lawn signs people can pick up. This referendum will be won or lost on voter turnout, so getting our voters out will be so important.”
On Thursday, May 21, Premier Danielle Smith announced Albertans will vote on the following question this October: “Should Alberta remain a province of Canada or should the Government of Alberta commence the legal process required under the Canadian Constitution to hold a binding provincial referendum on whether or not Alberta should separate from Canada?”
Smith said Albertans want their voices heard on this subject, citing the 400,000 signatures collected for the Forever Canada petition and 300,000 collected for the Stay Free Alberta petition.
The Stay Free Alberta petition was recently quashed by Justice Shaina Leonard, who concluded that the provincial government failed to meet its duty to consult with First Nations. Smith disagreed with the ruling and said her government planned to fight the decision.
Lukaszuk said moving forward with this referendum question has left many Albertans confused and upset.
“Separatists are not happy and I’m not surprised they aren’t happy. They worked hard (to collect signatures) too and they have their (referendum) question. The premier promised them their referendum question, but now she’s using her own question,” said Lukaszuk.
“The Forever Canadians aren’t happy because we aren’t sure why we’re doing this in the first place — we’re having a referendum to have a referendum. It’s already hurting Alberta’s economy and it’s dividing us as Albertans. We hope everyone votes to put an end to this.
“First Nations aren’t happy because they have two consecutive decisions stating they should be consulted and the premier is bypassing that. At the end of all this, the premier is the third premier in Canada’s history to put forward a referendum question about breaking up Canada. That’s not a league I’d want to be a part of.”
Lukaszuk said the Forever Canadian Unity Bus will be back in Red Deer and the surrounding area throughout the next five months.
“Our goal is to stop in every town in Alberta between now and Oct. 19,” Lukaszuk explained.
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