Alberta Premier Smith, minister call for separation referendum question be approved

Premier Danielle Smith and one of her ministers are calling on Alberta's electoral officer to reverse course and sign off on a proposed referendum question on separation, saying it shouldn't be held back by red tape.

This week, chief electoral officer Gordon McClure announced he had referred the proposed question to the courts so a judge could decide if the question contravenes Canada's Constitution.

Smith and Justice Minister Mickey Amery say Albertans should be able to embark on getting the signatures necessary to spark a referendum without bureaucratic barriers or court proceedings slowing them down.

Amery says that since the province would ultimately be responsible for implementing any referendum result, the electoral officer's request for judicial scrutiny is premature.

McClure's office hasn't explained why the question was referred to the courts for approval, only saying that he is permitted to do so in special cases under provincial law.

The minister's call comes after the group that submitted the question, the Alberta Prosperity Project, called the electoral officer's decision a "delay tactic."

The proposed question seeks a yes or no answer to whether people agree with Alberta becoming a sovereign country and ceasing to be a province in Canada.

If approved, the group would need to collect 177,000 signatures in four months to put the question of Alberta separation on a ballot.

Picture Courtesy: THE CANADIAN PRESS/Jason Franson