Smith compares independence petition to a pressure-release valve

EDMONTON — As Alberta's independence movement intensifies and the province increasingly seems to be on a collision course toward an independence referendum, Premier Danielle Smith sees it as an opportunity to release what has been building for years. "I just feel like it's my job to allow for a bit of a pressure-release valve," said Premier Danielle Smith in an interview with CBC on Saturday. "If people feel this way, they need an avenue to be able to express it."In January, Elections Alberta issued a petition to hold a referendum to Stay Free Alberta, a group seeking Alberta's independence. Although official totals aren't available, many believe the group will gather enough support to trigger a referendum..Smith's stance has long been that she supports a "sovereign Alberta, inside of a united Canada." Yet, she also understands why many Albertans have lost trust in the federal government."We have been abused and taken for granted repeatedly over the past decades," Smith said at the UCP AGM in December. "But my friends, let's not throw in the towel and give up on our country. Just as the battle has turned in our favour.”Despite the projected support needed to trigger a referendum, polls suggest that independence supporters will have an uphill battle to win it.With many anticipating that the majority of Albertans will vote to remain in Canada, political opponents and some media figures have asked why Smith would allow such a divisive debate to continue publicly. To which Smith has argued that allowing the issue to be publicly heard will be less destructive than suppressing it and allowing it to fester under the surface for another 10 years..The Alberta NDP, however, have argued the opposite and pointed to Quebec as an example of the harm that can come from an independence movement, even if it is unsuccessful."First of all, that didn't put separatism to rest in Quebec, but it was the conversations for decades that led up to that that actually created the economic disaster for Quebec, and they are still recovering from that," said Rakhi Pancholi, Deputy Leader of Alberta’s New Democrats, on Friday.The NDP have targeted the UCP, arguing that Smith is listening to the voices of the few, many of whom are the core of Smith's UCP supporters, and ignoring the voices of the many Albertans who oppose Alberta independence.Last week, the NDP challenged UCP MLAs to sign a pledge affirming their opposition to Alberta independence, but none did."There's a lot at stake for everyone in this province by pandering to separatists to protect her own political position, Danielle Smith and her government are risking the rights, the jobs and the economy of our province," Pancholi said..Further, Smith was asked by reporters to denounce some of the independence advocates who reportedly sought help from the United States as their movement grows."When you look at the polls, they suggest as many as 30% of Albertans have lost hope,” said Smith. “That’s about a million people, and I’m not going to demonize or marginalize a million of my fellow citizens when they’ve got legitimate grievances.”And as for the calls from NDP members and other leaders across Canada for Smith to step in and squash the Alberta independence movement, she has no intention of doing that."I'll make my views very clear, but I'm going to let citizen-initiated processes play out," said Smith on Jan. 24. "They've got 120 days to see if they can get the number of signatures to put it to a vote, and then we'll decide as a legislature what to do with those once those, once that process is complete."

Smith compares independence petition to a pressure-release valve

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