Elections Alberta has approved a citizen-initiative petition that asks voters, “Do you agree that Alberta should remain in Canada?” The proposal, submitted by former provincial deputy premier Thomas Lukaszuk under the banner Alberta Forever Canada, now has 90 days to collect about 294,000 physical signatures—10 per cent of eligible voters in the 2023 provincial election—to qualify for a province-wide referendum. A rival bid backed by the Alberta Prosperity Project seeks to pose the question, “Do you agree that the Province of Alberta shall become a sovereign country and cease to be a province in Canada?” That application, filed by project executive Mitch Sylvestre, was referred by Chief Electoral Officer Gordon McClure to the Court of King’s Bench to determine whether the wording complies with constitutional requirements set out in Alberta’s Citizen Initiative Act and the federal Clarity Act. If the court clears the text, proponents would need roughly 177,000 signatures within 120 days under rules that were eased earlier this month. Premier Danielle Smith and Justice Minister Mickey Amery have criticized the court referral, calling it unnecessary “red tape” that could delay Albertans’ right to decide major policy questions. McClure has said the referral is required for any initiative that may alter the Constitution. Only one referendum on a single subject can proceed at a time. If Lukaszuk’s unity petition meets its higher signature threshold before the court rules on the separatist question, it could pre-empt the secession ballot, setting up a vote that would ask Albertans whether they wish to reaffirm their place in Canada amid a revival of Western separatist sentiment.