EDMONTON — Alberta Prosperity Project officials unveiled their "Foundation of Freedom" draft of an indepent Alberta's constitution structured around a supreme constitutional power and a republic-style government. The Foundation of Freedom draft, introduced at an event in Airdrie on Thursday by APP CEO Mitch Sylvestre and largely drafted by the Black Hats group (Scott Payne, Ian Parkinson, Lavar Payne and Matt Klimazsewski), follows an extended period of discussion and consultation. A focal point of the group's vision is a Constitutional Republic government, with the constitution and citizens reigning supreme, followed by an executive branch, a bicameral legislative branch, a judicial branch, and an elected oversight branch. "The authority is with you," said Klimazsewski. "The government does nothing without your permission, and in fact, if it's not written in there that they have your permission, it is illegal for them to infer in any way, even in an emergency, that they can take authority and start making decisions that are outside of what we have told them they can do." .Within the constitution are a number of rights that centre on individual freedom and are written in a manner intended to be easily understood. In the Foundation of Freedom, legal rights include life, liberty, and security of person; due process and timely justice; and no unreasonable or warrantless search, seizure, or surveillance. "If somebody arrests them illegally on a constitutional issue, and the judge finds that whoever did it was wrong, they are entitled to not only their legal expenses paid, but they also retribution," said Parkinson. Other rights include the right to arms and self-defence; privacy and digital rights; parental rights, giving parents authority over the upbringing, education, and healthcare of their children; and bodily autonomy and free decision-making on matters of personal healthcare. "You will have the right to be informed, and you will maintain those rights," said Lavar Payne. "You won't have to take a vaccine if you don't want it. You won't have to take any kind of medication that is proposed for you. You can decide on your own medications. You can decide on your own healthcare. You can decide on your own doctor." APP said the Foundation of Freedom is intended to be a document that promotes discussion, informs Albertans, and encourages input on what an independent Alberta could be. Limited copies of the 38-page Foundation of Freedom were available for sale to attendees at the event on Thursday, and a digital copy of the document is expected to be available on the APP website on Monday. .Individuals across the Alberta independence movement had mixed reactions to the Foundation of Freedom on Thursday, with key independence leaders speaking out against it before the document was even introduced. "Any new Alberta constitution should be developed by Albertans themselves, through an open and democratic process, following a successful referendum on independence," wrote Wilson in a social media post. "I do not endorse Mitch’s actions here." Alberta independence advocate and law professor Bruce Pardy also spoke out against the document, saying, "It is not a consensus." "In my opinion, it has serious flaws and is not ready," wrote Pardy in a social media post. "It would not make Alberta a free country." Both Wilson and Pardy said they do not endorse the Foundation of Freedom.
