The Alberta Prosperity Project has announced that the Court of King’s Bench in Edmonton denied its motion to strike in the matter concerning APP CEO Mitch Sylvestre’s question regarding independence on Aug. 14.“This is not a loss,” Sylvestre said in an official statement.“[The decision] now brings this issue, led by the Alberta Prosperity Project, and many more pertinent topics, to the international conversation — and that’s a great step forward for democracy as well as citizen engagement in politics.”The Chief Electoral Officer had referred the matter to the court to determine whether the question was constitutional. The APP had originally submitted a Citizens’ Initiative Act (CIA) application for a constitutional petition question following amendments to Bill 54.Jeffrey Rath, the APP’s legal counsel, said the decision was expected and that “the court rarely decides matters on a striking application.”The APP stated it fully expects “the court will find the question to be constitutional and hopes that this process will help Albertans and Canadians clear up many of the misconceptions and misunderstandings surrounding this important question.”.APP releases Alberta independence budget; billions in surplus, currency backed by gold, oil, Bitcoin.Rath confirmed that the group looks forward to hearing how asking a question about amending the Constitution could be considered unconstitutional.The project has advocated for exploring avenues for greater sovereignty outside the Canadian federation.Dennis Modry, APP Chairman of the Board of Directors, told the Western Standard that "the Alberta Prosperity Project is solely focused on Alberta becoming a sovereign country, untethered from Canada."He explained that opinions on sovereignty have varied widely, but collectively, the APP decided that “sovereignty within Canada isn’t going to work.”“We concluded there is really only one path forward,” Modry confirmed.“We strongly believe that if we save Alberta, we may save the rest of Canada and other regions in the world that want freedom and prosperity as well — but we have to become an independent sovereign country first before any of those other changes could take effect.”According to the APP, a sovereign Alberta would rank among the world’s leading nations in several key areas: it would have more land than 79% of all countries, a population larger than 33% of countries, and farmland exceeding 91% of countries.A process for next steps has been set for written submissions, with the court set to reconvene on Nov. 19. A final decision is expected in 2026.
