Citizen Initiative Petition Issued
July 30, 2025
EDMONTON – Today, Alberta’s Chief Electoral Officer, Gordon McClure, issued the petition for the “Alberta Forever Canada” citizen initiative.
Prior to issuing the petition, the Chief Electoral Officer received, and is satisfied with, the appointment of a Chief Financial Officer for the citizen initiative, as required under sections 3(3) and 21(1) of the Citizen Initiative Act.
The notice on the Current Initiatives Petitions page of Elections Alberta’s website has been updated, indicating the petition has been issued, and specifying the signing period dates and the number of signatures required for a successful petition. Citizen initiative petition signature sheets and witness affidavits have been issued to the proponent. Signatures collected on other forms will not be accepted. The proponent may now proceed with collecting signatures as set out in division 2, sections 4 to 9 of the Citizen Initiative Act.
As the application was approved prior to Bill 54: Election Statutes Amendment Act coming into force, the process will follow requirements set out in the Citizen Initiative Act as of June 30, 2025.
Petition Information
The citizen initiative petition is for a policy proposal with the following proposed question:
Do you agree that Alberta should remain in Canada?
Signature collection period ends: October 28, 2025.
Number of signatures required for a successful petition: 293,976
(10% of the total number of all eligible voters contained in the post-election day list of electors from the 2023 Provincial General Election).
Next Steps
- The proponent registers canvassers. Registered canvassers must be eligible electors and must comply with the Canvasser Code of Conduct and any guidelines for canvassing issued by the Chief Electoral Officer. Only registered canvassers may collect signatures on the petition.
- The proponent and registered canvassers may collect signatures from eligible electors for a period of 90 days. The proponent must submit all petition signature sheets and witness affidavits to Elections Alberta on or before the 90th day of canvassing.
- Any petition signature sheets received after October 28, 2025, will not be accepted.
Citizen Initiative Petition Signature Requirements
For signatures to be valid, individuals signing the petition must:
- Be an eligible elector on the date they sign.
- Provide the required name and address information legibly, confirm they are an eligible elector, and date it on the date they signed.
- Sign the petition only once and only during the 90-day petition signing period.
- Sign their signature. Only original physical signatures are valid. Digital or online signatures will not be accepted.
A registered canvasser must witness each signature collected, sign as a witness on each signature sheet, and swear an affidavit stating to the best of their knowledge the individuals who signed were eligible to do so.
More information on the process, the status of the citizen initiative petition, financing rules, third party advertising rules, and frequently asked questions may be found on the Elections Alberta website.
Elections Alberta is an independent, non-partisan office of the Legislative Assembly of Alberta responsible for administering provincial elections, by-elections, and referendums.
For media inquiries, please contact:
Michelle Gurney
Media Relations
Phone: 403.431.0759
Email: media@elections.ab.ca
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