The Alberta government is updating rules for citizen petitions, referendums, and voting procedures, saying it wants to improve democratic processes.
The proposed changes would reduce the number of signatures needed for citizen-initiated petitions, extend the time to collect them, and update how elections are conducted in Alberta, according to an April 29
news release.
Premier Danielle Smith said the reforms—announced a day after the federal Liberals secured a fourth consecutive term—are not connected to the election outcome.
Discussion of Alberta’s secession and a possible separation referendum gained attention during the federal election campaign, when a poll
indicated that roughly one-quarter of Albertans favoured the idea, with support for a referendum slightly increasing in all provinces if the Liberals were re-elected.
The issue also gained national attention following
comments from former Reform Party leader Preston Manning suggesting that a Liberal win would fuel Western secession.
Smith said that while neither she nor her government plans to support Alberta’s separation, the province wants to “make it as simple as possible for every Albertan to express their political views and safeguard the system that allows them to do it.” The proposed changes to citizen initiative rules and election processes had been planned for a while, she added.
“I believe in Alberta sovereignty within a united Canada,” Smith said at an April 29
press conference. “However, there is a citizen-initiated referenda process that, if citizens want to put a question on a ballot and get enough of their fellow citizens to sign that petition, then those questions will be put forward.”
The proposed amendments, introduced under the Election Statutes Amendment
Act, 2025, would extend the signature collection period from 90 to 120 days and set the threshold at 10 percent of eligible voters who participated in the most recent general election. This would apply to policy, legislative, and constitutional citizen initiatives.
Currently, legislative or policy initiatives require support from 10 percent of registered voters across the province, while constitutional initiatives need backing from 20 percent of province-wide registered voters and in two-thirds of Alberta’s constituencies. The proposed
changes would standardize the threshold for all three types of initiatives.
Alberta Opposition NDP Leader Naheed Nenshi accused Smith of being “a separatist,” saying the proposed legislation is “entirely designed” to give Albertans a referendum on separation.
“She’s not just picking fights with Ottawa anymore, she is picking apart our country,” Nenshi said at an April 30
press conference.
“This path is just about more wastefulness, wasting money on referenda that she knows she’s going to lose; wasting money on yet another fair-deal panel, spending millions of dollars on ‘what’s next.'”
Smith has previously said that if her province’s demands to Ottawa, including the removal of certain climate policies, are not addressed by the newly elected prime minister within six months, she would consider setting up a panel to consult Albertan’s on the province’s next steps.
Nenshi argued the provincial government is paying “a lot of attention to a very small minority of people who do not represent Albertan values,” referring to those who say they would support a referendum on separation.
Alberta Justice Minister Mickey Amery said the changes to citizen initiative rules are intended to streamline the process of presenting public interest questions to voters without having to wait for the next legislative session.
“The idea is moving quickly, recognizing that Albertans have important issues that they'd like to be heard,” Amery said at the April 29 press conference.
“Having the opportunity to have those referendums take shape quickly is important to us, and that’s part of the reason why we’re making these changes.”
Changes to Voting Procedures, Recall of Officials
The proposed amendments would also make changes to voting processes. Among them is banning the use of automated voting machines and requiring all ballots be counted by hand to “protect election integrity.” In addition, unofficial vote counts would have to be completed within 12 hours of polls closing. To reinforce identity verification, the province says it plans to eliminate vouching at voting stations. It will also require voters in need of special ballots to personally request them, with exceptions for those with disabilities.
The province is also proposing to lower the number of required signatures and give more time to collect them when recalling a member of the provincial legislature to “make it easier for Albertans to hold elected officials accountable.”
This would extend the timeline from 60 to 90 days and set the signature threshold to 60 percent of the electors who voted in the electoral district in the most recent election, instead of 40 percent of the total electors in the riding.
