UCP Blocking Alberta Unity Petition

0:00Thomas Lukashuk, the former deputy premier behind the Forever Canadian petition, collected over 456,000 signatures to keep. Alberta firmly in Canada. Now he's calling up the legislature committee reviewing it for blocking the democratic process right from the start. The committee, stacked with United Conservative Party members, just shot down a plan to hear directly from Lukas' come self. They're dragging their feet on wrapping up before the legislature breaks in mid-May, which critics say clears the way for a rival separatist petition to hit the October ballot faster. Lukashuk isn't shocked, but finds it bizarre, accusing the UCP of a cynical political play. Meanwhile, opposition NDP deputy leader Rocky Puncholi blasted him for dodging a full house vote and ignoring what Albertans clearly won. This all kicked off when the petition got verified back in December, leading to the committee's formation in early March. The UCP government talks big about staying in confederation, but conveniently lowered the bar for referendum signatures lately.

1:02Committee chair Brandon Lentey promises they'll grind through her properly, though no firm deadline in sight. Alberta's unity debate stays heated as these petitions clash head on. This has been Canada News Today, powered by AI. I'm Cory with the story.