EDMONTON — Alberta NDP Leader Naheed Nenshi believes Premier Danielle Smith will manipulate Thomas Lukaszuk's Forever Canadian petition to satisfy Alberta independence supporters after Stay Free Alberta's petition got shut down in court. "It's clear what their plan is," said Nenshi to reporters on Tuesday. "These people are not good at chess. They're very, very clear on what they're doing." "She wants to force through a referendum on Thomas Lukaszuk's petition. This, despite Thomas Lukaszuk saying over and over and over again that his intent was to not trigger a referendum."Justice Shaina Leonard dismissed Mitch Sylvestre's pro-Alberta independence petition on May 13, effectively ending their chances of getting an Alberta independence question on the October referendum without Smith putting it on the ballot for them. "What that means is, as of today, there is no petition, and there is no referendum," Nenshi said. "There is no petition. There is no referendum.""The only way that there will be a referendum is if Danielle Smith makes one happen herself, and if she does do that, then the mask slips, and we know she's been a separatist this entire time, and all indications are that this is exactly what will happen.".Despite opposing Alberta independence herself, Smith has faced immense political pressure from UCP members who want her to call for an Alberta independence referendum, even though around 30% of Albertans appear to support the movement.Smith said she disagrees with Leonard's decision and that her government is considering the options available moving forward, claiming that the citizen initiative process is meant to be permissive and to allow Albertans to have their voices heard."Let's be clear, the Premier doesn't care about democracy, she doesn't care about the results of these referenda," Nenshi said."She cares about her own political survival, and the only reason we are where we are is because she knows she'll lose her job as leader of the UCP and as Premier of Alberta, if she doesn't pander to the people that got her there."He said Smith intends to resort to her backup plan to avoid doing it herself by taking Lukaszuk's pro-federalist policy petition and turning it into a referendum on Alberta remaining in Canada, 162 days after it was initially submitted. "Clearly, the Premier wants a referendum on the Lukaszuk question, so that she can blame someone else, so that, as always, she doesn't take responsibility for what she's doing," Nenshi said. "But we know that the Premier is not a bystander. The Premier's been driving the bus the entire time."It took until April 21 for the cabinet committee charged with deciding whether Lukaszuk's petition should trigger a referendum or legislative policy vote on the question, "Do you agree that Alberta should remain in Canada?" to hold their first meeting.The committee is scheduled to meet on Wednesday for the first time since Leonard's decision, and Nenshi said they will soon decide it should trigger a referendum. "The UCP was slow walking the committee on Thomas Lukaszuk's Forever Canadian petition," Nenshi said. "Suddenly, they're speed walking that committee, an emergency meeting.".Nenshi wants Smith not to put any question related to Alberta independence on a referendum ballot, but he and the Alberta NDP also realize that it is inevitably going to happen. "This is the fight of our lives," Nenshi said. "The stakes have never been higher, and I will fight like hell, and Albertans will fight like hell to defend this country."The Alberta NDP launched their For. Alberta. For Canada. anti-Alberta independence campaign in April because Nenshi said his caucus understands the importance of not underestimating the Alberta independence movement."Canada is not perfect,” Nenshi said on Tuesday. “It's got a lot, and we made a lot of mistakes over time. But we've created, in this big, large, complicated, bruised country, the best place on earth, and I'll be damned if I let Danielle Smith take that away to save her own political skin.
