Hearing on constitutionality of Alberta separation question to proceed: judge
But he's confident the question will survive the scrutiny of the review to come.
'We're going to move forward and it'll give us a lot more opportunity to continue to talk to our fellow Albertans about the benefits of independence,' Rath said.
'We're looking forward to getting this process forward and having Albertans finally have their say on whether or not Alberta should remain part of Canada.'
The judge scheduled three days for a hearing in November.
Some interveners will be allowed to take part, Feasby said.
'Difficult choices will be made on who participates, and it's going to be what, in my view, is a representative group that can bring the important issues forward for the court to consider,' he said.
A lawyer for Amery told the judge that the minister plans to make submissions. Other groups, including the Athabasca Chipewyan First Nation in northern Alberta, have also said they want to be heard.
Opposition NDP justice critic Irfan Sabir, in a statement, called on Smith and Amery to stop encouraging the Alberta Prosperity Project and their desire for a referendum on separation.
'The premier and this (United Conservative Party) government need to stop pandering to these extremist groups, especially those led by her own party members who want to destroy our country,' said Sabir, referring to Mitch Sylvestre, the chief executive officer of the Alberta Prosperity Project, who is also president of a UCP constituency association.
If the proposed question is approved, the Alberta Prosperity Project and Sylvestre would need to collect 177,000 signatures in four months to get it on a ballot.
A competing referendum question was approved by McClure in June and asks if Alberta should declare an official policy that it will never separate from Canada.
Efforts to gather signatures for that proposal, put forward by former Progressive Conservative deputy premier Thomas Lukaszuk, got underway earlier this month.
Lukaszuk, who is also seeking to intervene in the review, needs to collect nearly 300,000 signatures in 90 days in order to get his question on a ballot. His application was approved before new provincial rules with lower signature thresholds took effect.
He told reporters Thursday that Feasby's decision to carry on with the review was 'a win not only for democracy but for Elections Alberta and its independence.'
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