EDMONTON — Influential Alberta independence advocates offered differing reactions to Premier Danielle Smith's October referendum question on Alberta remaining in Canada, as the UCP faces an internal struggle among party members. "I listened with great interest and care to the words and the announcement from our Premier, Premier Smith, this evening, and I would like Alberta to move towards independence and become a free and independent country, free from Ottawa, as soon as possible," said constitutional rights lawyer and Alberta independence advocate Keith Willson in a video following the announcement. "Now, what the premier announced tonight is that it's not going to happen right away. If we do become independent, it's going to take some time, and there's going to be some process." Smith told Albertans on Thursday that they will have an opportunity to be heard in October regarding the Alberta independence debate, but said recent court decisions will prevent them from being asked a direct "stay" or "leave" question on the matter. "But there is another way to hear from Albertans while we wait for our legal appeal to be heard," Smith said."That is why I am announcing today that I will be requesting that our government add an additional question to the previously announced October 19th referendum vote."The referendum question will ask Albertans, "Should Alberta remain a province of Canada or should the Government of Alberta commence the legal process required under the Canadian Constitution to hold a binding provincial referendum on whether or not Alberta should separate from Canada?" .Independence supporters make up a significant portion of the UCP, and they have been pressuring Smith for weeks to put an independence referendum question to a vote, threatening to remove her as their party leader if she fails to deliver.A large majority of Alberta independence supporters expressed immediate dissatisfaction with the announcement and were furious that she essentially gave them a referendum question asking whether they wanted a referendum on leaving Canada.The Alberta independence movement prides itself on being "grassroots," with no single official group or leader, but rather a collection of Albertans who want to escape the shackles placed upon them by Canada as it currently stands.That said, key individuals have become de facto leaders as supporters have gravitated towards them, and those advocates help sway the movement.Stay Free Alberta CEO and Alberta Prosperity Project leader Mitch Sylvestre has yet to offer a clear public opinion on the matter, but he posted a photo online numerous times after the announcement, emphasizing that the Government of Alberta needs a clear mandate to hold a binding referendum.He has since deleted the posts.Stay Free Alberta and the Alberta Prosperity Project's legal counsel, Jeffrey Rath, who often walks in unison with Sylvestre, fueled frustration on Thursday when he said the UCP needs to hold a Special General Meeting in the summer and vote to remove Smith as their leader. .Conversely, a small but influential portion of independence supporters were disappointed that a definitive vote on leaving is not happening in October, but understood why Smith made the decision that she did, and even found positives in the situation they were given."If she, the Premier, were to have announced tonight a up or down question, you know, stay, leave, almost certainly some groups would have brought a legal challenge, and I think it's reasonable to expect, given the past two decisions, the court might have struck that down too," Willson said. "So, I think it's important that the court of appeal have a chance to look at this decision of the most recent case involving the Sylvester petition, and hopefully confirm the previous law of the land, which is, no, First Nations do not have the right to sort of interfere with law-making and policy-making processes."Wilson said asking a question could even help their chances of winning in October, because it gives a safety net for individuals who may be hesitant to vote to leave Canada but are looking to send a strong message to Ottawa. .Renew Alberta President Matthew Rowley, who is leading the pro-parliamentary side of an independent Alberta, echoed a similar sentiment, blaming Canada's judicial system for blocking their vote and saying that their actions exemplify why Albertans need to escape Canada. .Indipendence advocate Bruce Pardy said Smith is trying to decieve Albertans with her question and she willingly chose not to ask a real independence question. .Perhaps compounding the division is calls for infighting within the independence movement, such as those by Rath on Thursday when he said anyone who is grateful that Smith gave them a path for independence should not be trusted and may be recieving a payoff from her. The differing reactions from leaders accross the movement could serve as an obstacle in the independence movement, as each individual begins swaying their pocket of pro-independence followers' opinions on Smith and the October referendum.UCP bylaws allow board members to trigger a leadership review, which could potentially remove their leader, if two-thirds of the board members, or 22 constituency association presidents, pass a motion to hold a vote.
