UCP CONTINUES DELAYS AS FIRST COMMITTEE MEETING HELD ON FOREVER CANADA PETITION

News Release

UCP CONTINUES DELAYS AS FIRST COMMITTEE MEETING HELD ON FOREVER CANADA PETITION

EDMONTON — After nearly five months of UCP stalling, the legislative committee tasked with reviewing the Forever Canada Petition – signed by almost half a million Albertans – finally met for the first time today. This meeting was scheduled by the Chair of the Committee, UCP MLA Brandon Lunty, only after significant public pressure to do so. The first meeting took place 42 days into the 90-day period that the Committee must complete its work.

At today’s meeting, the UCP committee members refused to commit to hearing from the petition proponent Thomas Lukaszuk. They then voted down a motion asking the committee to finish their work by May 7. Both these actions delay the committee’s work on the Forever Canada Petition. If the committee doesn’t submit its report before the end of the spring sitting in mid-May, it won’t be able to finish its work until November, after the likely referendum on separatism.

“If these delays continue, the voices of half a million Albertans who signed the Forever Canada petition are effectively ignored until after a vote on the separatism issue.” said Rakhi Pancholi. “This is proof that the UCP intentionally delayed it to advantage their separatist friends.

“The threat of separatism has mobilized Albertans from all corners of the province, who are deeply concerned about the rhetoric that is already hurting our economy, reputation and sowing uncertainty.” added Pancholi. “Since launching For Alberta, For Canada, more than 1,100 emails have been sent to the Premier and MLAs urging action on the Forever Canada Petition and that its work be done by May 7, which they disregarded as well.

“The Premier claims to value direct democracy but has no problem ignoring the voices of half a million Albertans who used direct democracy in ways she doesn’t support.”

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WHY THIS MATTERS

Under Alberta’s citizen initiative process, the Forever Canadian Petition, which collected 438,568 valid signatures, should have triggered a legislative committee review back in December. Instead, the UCP government has delayed this process for almost five months.
At today’s meeting, the UCP committee members refused to commit to hearing from the petition’s proponent Thomas Lukaszuk. They then voted down a motion asking the committee to finish their work by May 7. Both these actions delay the committee’s work on the Forever Canada Petition.
If the committee doesn’t submit its report before the end of the spring sitting in mid-May, it won’t be able to finish its work until November, after the likely referendum on separatism.