First Nation seeks court injunction to halt Alberta separation petition

An Alberta First Nation is in court Tuesday seeking an injunction to stop a citizen-led petition campaign advocating for the province to leave Canada.

The Sturgeon Lake Cree Nation has filed an application in the Court of King’s Bench in Edmonton, asking a judge to suspend the campaign while legal questions over treaty rights are addressed. According to the court filing, the First Nation argues that any move toward Alberta’s separation from Canada would require the consent of First Nations under existing treaties.

The application alleges that the governments of Alberta and Canada, along with the province’s chief electoral officer, have failed to uphold treaty obligations by allowing the petition process to proceed without consultation. The court is expected to hear arguments on whether the petition should be paused pending further legal review.

The petition is being organized by a group called Stay Free Alberta, which is collecting signatures to trigger a provincial referendum on separation. Under Alberta law, at least 178,000 valid signatures are required for a referendum question to be considered.

Premier Danielle Smith has said that if the required number of signatures is verified, the question would be put to a provincewide vote through Elections Alberta. Stay Free Alberta has stated it has already surpassed the threshold, with approximately one month remaining before the submission deadline.