Judicial review begins over proposed Alberta independence referendum question

November 19, 2025

RED FM News Desk

A judicial review into a proposed referendum question on Alberta separating from Canada begins Wednesday in Edmonton.

The Alberta Prosperity Project — a non-profit organization advocating for provincial independence — submitted the question in July: “Do you agree that the Province of Alberta shall become a sovereign country and cease to be a province in Canada?”

Alberta’s chief electoral officer has referred the question to the Court of King’s Bench to determine whether it violates the Constitution. Under Alberta’s Citizen Initiative Act, any proposed referendum question must comply with Sections 1 through 35.1 of the Constitution Act. The chief electoral officer has not specified which section the proposed wording may contravene.

If approved, organizers will need to gather 177,000 signatures within four months to qualify the question for a future ballot.

The hearing is expected to run for three days. Once the review concludes, the chief electoral officer will have one month to assess whether the proposal meets all other legal requirements.

Meanwhile, Elections Alberta is verifying a separate citizen-driven petition that collected nearly 500,000 signatures supporting Alberta remaining part of Canada.