Alberta Premier Danielle Smith’s government is increasing how much it costs to apply for a citizen-initiated referendum by 5,000 per cent, saying it’s about making sure applicants are serious.
It’s the latest in a series of rule changes that one petitioner — country singer Corb Lund — characterizes as exhausting.
A cabinet order released late Wednesday afternoon upped the fee to $25,000 from $500.
Lund, in an interview, said it’s disturbing to see Smith’s government make sudden rule changes for what he views as “random, self-serving reasons.”
“The chaos and confusion and exhaustion is very similar to the same confusion, chaos and exhaustion that we’ve seen from the government on how they’ve been handling the coal situation for the last six years,” Lund said.
Because the Forever Canadian initiative has been so successful more people see this as a way to resist the UCP. For example Corb Lund’s attempt to get a referendum vote on the disastrous coal mine leases. This is what has the UCP scrambling. But they can only stop future citizen initiatives. The Forever Canadian question “Do you agree that Alberta should remain in Canada?” has been approved. By law, it must lead either to a vote in the Legislature or a referendum and there’s nothing the UCP can to stop it. Well, there is one thing: a general election. When the writ is dropped, the referendum question dies, and so do all the recall campaigns. This is why it is extremely likely that we will go to an election soon.