EDMONTON — Premier Danielle Smith says she anticipates that a binding Alberta independence referendum could be held in spring 2027 if Albertans vote in favour of the UCP pursuing one. "That's what I would have to do," said Smith on Tuesday when asked if the binding referendum would take place in the spring. "Yeah, I think we'd have to settle it before the next election." Smith's comments came while taking questions from UCP party members at a town hall in Lethbridge. Alberta's October referendum will ask Albertans whether they want to remain in Canada or have Smith's government begin pursuing the legal path towards holding a binding referendum. .In May, Justice Shaina Leonard quashed Stay Free Alberta's petition to hold a binding referendum, after ruling that the Government of Alberta and Elections Alberta had failed to execute their duty to consult First Nations and other groups prior to taking an action that could potentially violate Treaty rights. Stay Free Alberta and the UCP are currently appealing Leonard's ruling; however, Smith has said that until the decision is overturned, her government must consult before holding a binding Alberta independence referendum. According to Smith, it would take "at least" two and a half months to fulfill their consultation requirements, and then she would need the federal government to approve the referendum question and ensure it complies with the Clarity Act. "I'm looking at what Dawn Farrell is doing right now with the major projects legislation," Smith said. She said she needed two and a half months to do what she felt was appropriate consultation on that pipeline, so that it would withstand any court challenge." .Smith's timeline would put Alberta on track for a binding independence referendum in March or April. If Albertans vote in October for Alberta to remain in Canada, Smith's timeline is irrelevant. However, Elections Alberta's verification of Stay Free Alberta's petition calling for a binding independence referendum complicates the situation if Leonard's decision is eventually reversed.
