The claim now circulating on CTV panels — that the petition was only ever intended for a legislative vote — leaves out a fairly important detail: the actual petition application.
Former Conservative strategist Dimitri Soudas is now echoing claims from Thomas Lukaszuk that the “Forever Canada” citizen initiative was intended for a vote in the Legislature, not a provincewide referendum.
That’s not what the petition process actually does. And that's not what Lukaszuk said.
The #ForeverCanadian petition and referendum will not be won by money, but they will be won by our love for Canada.https://t.co/44AkqgP2sQ#ableg #cdnpoli
— Hon. Thomas A. Lukaszuk (@LukaszukAB) May 30, 2025
Under Alberta’s citizen initiative law, a successful petition can trigger either a vote in the Legislature or a referendum, depending on the option selected by the applicant at the time of filing.
And in this case, Lukaszuk explicitly chose the referendum route.
Even sources generally hostile to Alberta independence acknowledge that fact.
I'm not a separatist and wish it weren't true, but it's obvious the guy screwed up and handed the separatists a back-up petition. He chased the cameras before engaging his brain. What's worse, lots of people warned him. A big ego got the better of him. https://t.co/T5JVPVfKcj
— Dwayne Chomyn (@Citizen004) May 21, 2026
Once signatures were gathered and verified, it would “force a referendum,” and cites the petition question itself: “Do you agree that Alberta should remain in Canada?”
Based on how today transpired, I’d like to offer my gratitude to @LukaszukAB for getting the referendum loose ends tied up.
— John Tomkinson (@johnwtomkinson) May 21, 2026
Thanks, Tom.
Looking forward to ongoing contributions from yourself, Nenshi, & Kenny that will undoubtedly strengthen the case for Alberta Independence! pic.twitter.com/jG9uNC1K82
So the claim now circulating on CTV panels — that the petition was only ever intended for a legislative vote — leaves out a fairly important detail: the actual petition application.
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