EDMONTON — UCP board of directors hopeful Jason Lavigne says the party is not forcing members to surrender their Alberta independence beliefs, nor is it requiring candidates to pledge allegiance to federalism.Lavigne, a prominent Alberta independence advocate before the province's referendum, is running for the UCP's vice-president of policy and governance at the party's AGM later this month.His candidacy raises questions for some who believe it may conflict with the directive Premier Danielle Smith issued following the referendum, in which 75% of Albertans voted to end the current Alberta independence debate."I accept the mandate that Albertans have given us to work towards strengthening Alberta's position, but within the united Canada, and that's my expectation: is that our future candidates, as well as those who speak for our party in various elected positions, will do the same," Smith told reporters on October 21..She also told members they were free to hold their own views on Alberta independence, but that the party's membership must respect the mandate and unite ahead of the 2027 general election."And for those few who cannot reconcile this fact and remain intent on dividing and turning our party into a vehicle for the independence movement, I would respectfully invite them to join a different party," Smith said in her video."I'm simply not prepared to watch a few individuals tear apart the incredible conservative movement we've built together, only to see the disastrous NDP become the government in our province."Lavigne, like some other nationalist UCP members, was initially concerned following Smith's remarks, but sought clarification and now understands that the premier was not telling Alberta independence advocates to "get lost.""After I actually listened to her words and understood what she was saying, and speaking to people within the party, it became very clear that this was not a call to have independent-minded people leave," Lavigne said during an interview with the Western Standard."What the call was for was to respect the democratic process and Albertans' results, so that the government can continue to honour the process that they started, which was a referendum. There was no requirement to accept a federalist position at all.".UCP board of directors candidates recently became required to sign a declaration committing them to "recognize, respect and will abide by the majority decision made by Albertans on Question 10 of the 26/10/19 referendum" throughout their campaign and while in office.Lavigne signed the declaration because he would have wanted a similar requirement if Albertans had delivered a mandate to pursue Alberta independence."So, I had no problems abiding by the results of the referendum as long as it didn't require me to change my belief or my thoughts for a prosperous Alberta," Lavigne said.The key distinction, Lavigne said, is that the UCP is not requiring him or other candidates to pledge allegiance to federalism or abandon their views on Alberta independence."It is a big tent, but anybody that's planning to not honour the will of Albertans and actively try to position themselves as somebody who's going to search for and guide the party towards independence would be a distraction," Lavigne said, describing the messaging he received from UCP leadership before signing the declaration."And I agreed with that because my will, even during the referendum, was full sovereignty. But if Albertans are not ready for full sovereignty, I'm on board with more sovereignty, which means fighting within the united Canada for more sovereignty for Alberta.".Lavigne said he does not believe he is required to stop personally advocating for Alberta independence in the long term, either."Nothing has been said that I wouldn't be able to, as long as I'm acknowledging and abiding by the results of the referendum," Lavigne said."So, any messages that I would consider doing in the future would be around, down the road, if Albertans choose to have independence, then this would be their choice, and I would advocate for sovereignty, more sovereignty with Alberta between now and that time."
