Overview
- Stay Free Alberta, which said Tuesday it has 177,732 signatures, claims it met the 10% requirement to force a provincewide vote on independence.
- Elections Alberta says it cannot confirm the count until signature sheets are submitted and that verification will strike ineligible or duplicate names, which is why experts say organizers need a buffer of signatures.
- If the tally is validated, the question would go to cabinet for review and the wording could change before any possible addition to the Oct. 19 multi-question referendum.
- After UCP MLA Jason Stephan urged Albertans to sign in a Western Standard column, the NDP called for his removal, while Premier Danielle Smith reiterated support for a sovereign Alberta within a united Canada.
- Alberta business leaders, including the Calgary Chamber of Commerce, warn separation talk chills investment, and a court challenge by First Nations could pause canvassing and add further hurdles.