Latest news with #AlbertaProgressiveConservative
Edmonton Journal
28-07-2025
- Politics
- Edmonton Journal
Possible referendum question on Alberta separation sent to judge for approval
Article content EDMONTON — A potential referendum question on Alberta separating from Canada has been referred to a judge for confirmation that the question doesn't violate the Constitution. Article content The proposed question seeks a yes or no answer to: 'Do you agree that the Province of Alberta shall become a sovereign country and cease to be a province in Canada?' Article content Article content Alberta's chief electoral officer Gordon McClure, in a news release Monday, said provincial laws require potential referendum questions to respect more than 30 sections of the Constitution, including the Charter of Rights and Freedoms. Article content Article content McClure's release doesn't say which, if any, specific sections he's unsure about and his office didn't immediately respond to questions asking for details. Article content Article content Sylvestre, who didn't immediately respond to an interview request Monday, has said he thinks interest among Albertans in holding a separation referendum increases with every speaking event his group organizes. Article content 'The more people that hear what the message is, the more people that will be in favour,' he said in an interview last month. Article content The Alberta Prosperity Project said on social media that McClure's decision was a 'delay tactic' and that the group would respond in court if need be. Article content Article content The electoral officer's release says the Court of King's Bench will schedule a proceeding for the matter and that Sylvestre and the provincial justice minister have been notified of his decision to refer the question to a judge. Article content Article content If his question is approved, Sylvestre and the Alberta Prosperity Project would need to collect 177,000 signatures in four months to put the question of Alberta separation on a ballot. Article content In June, the chief electoral officer approved a competing question that seeks to have Alberta make it official policy that the province will never separate from Canada. Article content That petition, put forward by former Alberta Progressive Conservative deputy premier Thomas Lukaszuk, was approved before new provincial rules took effect that lowered the threshold for citizen-initiated referendums to get on ballots. Article content Lukaszuk's proposal also differs in that it seeks a referendum on a proposed policy — rather than a potential constitutional referendum like Sylvestre's proposal — and he'll need to collect nearly 300,000 signatures in 90 days.
CBC
23-03-2025
- Politics
- CBC
Calgary MP Len Webber not seeking re-election
Conservative Member of Parliament Len Webber will not seek to retain his seat representing the riding of Calgary Confederation in the upcoming federal election. Webber has represented the federal Calgary riding for about a decade, and before that sat in the Alberta Legislature for three terms as the MLA for Calgary-Foothills. According to the biography page on his website, Webber is the chair of the Alberta Conservative Caucus and currently sits on multiple parliamentary committees. During his time as an Alberta MLA, he served as a cabinet minister under former premier Ed Stelmach. He notably quit the Alberta Progressive Conservative caucus in 2014 to sit as an independent in protest of the leadership of then-premier Alison Redford. "It has been an honour to be the elected Member of Parliament for Calgary Confederation since 2015, but the time has come to pass the torch," Webber said in a statement posted to social media Saturday night. "I want to thank deeply my constituents for their ongoing support and encouragement. This was not an easy decision, but one that I have come to after long and thoughtful consideration." He added he remains supportive of Conservative Leader Pierre Poilievre and said he will do what he can to help the Conservatives win the election. Webber brought forward a private member's bill that simplified becoming an organ and tissue donor by allowing Canadians to specify their intent to sign up as a donor through their annual income tax return. The bill was passed with unanimous approval in 2021, after which Ontario and Nunavut implemented the change. His work in the Alberta Legislature years prior also paved the way for the creation of the Alberta Organ and Tissue Donor Registry. The Liberal Party of Canada selected Thomas Keeper to run in Calgary Confederation in the federal election, while Keira Gunn will run for the New Democrats. It's unknown who the Conservatives will choose to run in Webber's place.
