EDMONTON — Premier Danielle Smith says it is surprising that Elections Alberta is not requiring Forever Canadian to disclose its financial contributions, despite it having the most prominent Alberta independence referendum campaign. "Well, I don't know," said Smith during an interview with Global News when she was asked about whether the amount of money raised by pro-Alberta independence third-party advertising groups gave her any concern about Albertans voting against remaining in Alberta. "I mean, Forever Canada is the one I see the most signs of, and for some reason, the elections officials have said that they don't have to disclose where they're getting their money from. So, that's a bit surprising to me, and I think surprising to others." .Pro-Alberta independence TPAs have raised over $500,000 more than federalist groups as of Thursday, but Smith says those figures may be misleading. "So, I don't know what to make of those numbers," Smith said. "But things, of course, have just gotten underway, and I suppose we'll see what kind of contributions there are. There are also spending limits as well, so there's a limit to how much can be spent.""But I think that it shows that there's robust discussion on both sides. There's lots of organizations on both sides of the discussion." .Smith's curiosity echoes grievances voiced by many Alberta independence supporters for nearly two months, as they consistently question why their TPAs are forced to be transparent with their finances, while Thomas Lukaszuk's group is not obligated to do the same. Nationalists often point to the "Choose Unity" Forever Canadian lawn signs scattered across Alberta, along with Lukaszuk's "Unity Bus," as alleged evidence that they are advertising for Albertans to vote to stay in Alberta, yet Elections Alberta has not required them to provide weekly financial contribution reports. Their gripe centres on concerns that Lukaszuk is accepting money from outside of Alberta, and that Forever Canadian has, or may, exceed the $600,000 donation cap imposed on referendum TPAs. .Elections Alberta has said financial reports must disclose contributions for referendum advertising, and a key point is that the cost must be for advertising about the referendum question, not just an overall campaign. Lukaszuk has defended his group's position by saying that their advertisements are not about the referendum question and that Forever Canadian will provide financial documents at a later date as a non-profit. Forever Canadian's lawn signs read "Choose Unity" and "join the movement," and include a link to the group's website. Their bus makes no mention of the independence referendum question, and is decorated with their logo and maple leaves.
