EDMONTON— The Alberta Prosperity Project's discussion paper on an independent Alberta’s constitution proposes that the nation have four branches of government housed across the nation in six cities.The Foundation of Freedom "discussion document" introduced on Thursday proposed that an independent Alberta's government comprise elected officials spread across an Executive branch, a Legislative branch, a Judicial branch, and an Oversight branch. Their proposed Executive would sit at the McDougall Centre in Calgary and include a president, vice president, and ministers, all of whom will be elected and may serve no more than two four-year terms. "They already have the McDougall Centre there," said Scott Payne on Thursday when presenting the document. "It's really one of the financial helps, so it makes sense.".Alberta's Legislative branch would be bicameral, with a Senate sitting in Red Deer, 148 km from the McDougall Centre, and a Legislative Assembly using the Legislature Building in Edmonton, 298 km from the Executive branch's home. Under the proposed constitution, senators are limited to one eight-year term, and legislative assembly officials can serve a maximum of two four-year terms. The Foundation of Freedom also includes a proposed Judicial branch comprising elected judges who can serve at any level of court for up to eight years. In the draft, Alberta's Supreme Court would sit in Grande Prairie, 724 km away from the McDougall Centre. Finally, the Oversight branch, including offices such as the Inspector General, Attorney General, and Auditor General, would be elected officials and could serve up to two four-year terms. Those offices would be split between Medicine Hat and Lloydminster, which are 435 km apart, and 293 km and 495 km from the McDougall Centre, respectively. South Africa has a similarly spread-out federal government, with the Executive, Legislative, and Judicial located in three different cities. .A full version of the Foundation of Freedom is available online, and individuals have been asked to leave feedback on the APP website. The APP has said the Foundation of Freedom is a document meant for discussion, not a complete product. “This document is written to look like a constitution instead of a list of items to put into a constitution, but it remains a document to be discussed among Albertans and at some point it may be used in a Constitutional Conference as one of many sources of ideas,” reads the document. “Alberta Prosperity Project believes that a Constitutional Conference led by Albertans to produce a Constitution to be ratified by Albertans must be conducted upon Independence.”
