Alberta's provincial government introduced Bill 54, aiming to strengthen electoral fairness and focus on referendums, making it easier to "exit" the federation! This was seen by Canadian media as "sending a signal to the federal Liberal government."

The Alberta provincial government introduced Bill 54 - The Election Statutes Amendment Act - on the second day after the general election (April 29). The bill aims to enhance the fairness and accessibility of provincial elections. The bill repeatedly emphasizes the referendum system in its announcement and is interpreted by outsiders as a counterattack against the federal Liberal government led by Mark Carney.

According to the provincial government's press release, this legislation proposed by the conservative coalition government led by Premier Danielle Smith aims to protect democratic procedures, ensure fair and transparent elections, and enhance public confidence in the voting results.

Western Standard asked about the timing of the announcement of this bill - coinciding with the day after the federal election - and asked whether Smith was considering holding a sovereignty vote.

Smith responded: "Regardless of the outcome of the federal election, we will propose this legislation."

Currently, if an exit referendum is to be held in Alberta, according to the existing Referendum Act and Citizen Initiative Act, there are two main ways to initiate the process:

A petition must collect signatures from approximately 600,000 eligible voters within 90 days (about 20% of the eligible voters in the 2019 provincial election).

If Bill 54 passes, this threshold will be halved, requiring only 10% of signatures.

In the weeks leading up to the federal election, Smith made a series of demands to the next prime minister and warned that if these demands were ignored, it could trigger an "unprecedented national unity crisis."

These demands include: establishing oil and gas transportation corridors extending north, east, and west; repealing laws hindering pipeline development; lifting the ban on coastal oil tankers in British Columbia; withdrawing the proposal for carbon emission caps on the oil and gas industry; canceling clean energy regulations; ending the federal single-use plastic ban; abolishing the mandatory policy for net-zero emission vehicles; granting the provincial government regulatory authority over industrial carbon taxes, and ending "federal reviews" of energy companies.

When asked whether Alberta might secede from Canada, Smith said: "I believe Alberta has sovereignty within a united Canada. However, if citizens want to hold a referendum on a particular issue and receive sufficient support, this initiative will proceed legally. But this is not initiated by our government, and I do not want to predefine any question content."

The main changes in Bill 54 include:

  • Banning electronic voting machines and switching to manual counting to ensure the integrity of elections;
  • Eliminating the "guarantor verification" system at polling stations to strengthen voter identification;
  • Requiring unofficial counts to be completed within 12 hours after voting ends to ensure timely publication of results;
  • Voters must vote in their home constituency or apply for a special ballot; all voters can apply for a special ballot without reason, but must personally submit the application (except for disabled persons);
  • Amending the Recall Act to lower the signature threshold and extend the signature collection period to make it easier to hold elected officials accountable;
  • Amending the Citizen Initiative Act to set a uniform signature threshold for all petitions at 10% of the eligible voters in the last general election.

Mickey Amery, Attorney General of Alberta, said: "Albertans should expect the government to ensure fair and transparent democratic procedures and accurate and timely results. These amendments will fulfill my duty to review and strengthen electoral fairness."

The bill also includes the following supplementary provisions:

  • Under the existing transparency mechanism, allowing businesses and unions to donate to provincial elections;
  • Improving the accessibility of voting for referendums and senatorial elections for Indigenous peoples and Métis settlements;
  • Strengthening the response mechanism in case of emergency voting disruptions.

This legislation will amend several laws related to Alberta's democratic procedures, including the Election Act, the Election Finances and Disclosure Act, the Alberta Senate Election Act, the Referendum Act, the Recall Act, and the Citizen Initiative Act.

The provincial government stated that this reform aims to create new opportunities for public participation while ensuring that provincial elections truly reflect the will of the people of Alberta. Currently, Bill 54 has been submitted to the provincial parliament for debate and deliberation.

"Please never return to politics"

However, the Alberta New Democratic Party (NDP) considers Smith's stance both dangerous and cowardly.

"If you want to play the game of separatism, then just hold a referendum," former Calgary mayor Naheed Nenshi said. "Let's see what Albertans have to say. By the way, premier - when you lose this referendum, please never return to politics."

In a poll conducted before the federal election, nearly one-third of Albertans (about 30%) said they would support secession from Canada if the Liberals were re-elected.

This Saturday, an Alberta secession rally will be held outside the provincial parliament building.

What do you think?

Original article: https://www.toutiao.com/article/7499287251881574966/

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