Alberta Premier Danielle Smith announced plans for a vote in October regarding Alberta’s potential departure from Canada. This move allows citizens to decide whether they wish to remain part of the country or pursue a referendum on secession.

The proposal follows a court ruling in Alberta that declared a petition for a secession referendum unconstitutional due to the lack of consultation with Indigenous groups. These groups’ rights could be affected negatively if Alberta seceded.

Smith’s decision to organize the vote seeks to address a legal and procedural impasse hindering both pro-independence and pro-Canada activists from advancing the issue. Hundreds of thousands of citizens have already voiced their opinions through petitions.

“Despite my personal support for remaining in Canada, I find the court’s decision troubling because it impedes the democratic rights of many Albertans,” Smith stated. She added that legal appeals against the ruling could take years to resolve.

“Kicking the can down the road only prolongs a very emotional and important debate, and muzzling the voices of hundreds of thousands of Albertans wanting to be heard is unjustifiable in a free and democratic society,” Smith added.