They talked about breaking away—then forgot to file the paperwork.
By the time they got around to it, someone else had already locked them out.
If you can’t handle a simple deadline, you have no mandate to lead a province to independence.
The Alberta Prosperity Project, on May 12, 2025, unveiled its big proposal: “Should Alberta become a sovereign country?” It was a dramatic declaration, filled with rhetoric about freedom and self-determination. But when it mattered most—filing an actual petition with elections Alberta—they didn’t show up until July 4.
In politics, as in life, missing the basics raises serious questions about your readiness for bigger challenges.
In the eight weeks between announcement and filing, another group quietly moved. Thomas Lukaszuk’s pro-Canada team prepared, gathered legal advice, and officially lodged their question—“Do you agree that Alberta should remain in Canada?”—on June 5. Elections Alberta approved it on June 30. Under the Citizen Initiative Act, only the first valid petition on a subject can proceed. By filing first, Lukaszuk’s team effectively blocked any rival question on separation.
How many separatists does it take to file a referendum question with Elections Alberta?
-- Anonymous, Proud Albertan and Proud Canadian
None—they’re still drafting the press release.
By filing their citizens’ initiative on June 5, Lukaszuk’s team secured priority under Alberta’s rules long before the separatists ever showed up on July 4. Those same rules bar duplicate ballots, so the pro-Canada group effectively shut out any competing referendum the moment their paperwork met the legal requirements. That disciplined, detail-oriented approach stands in stark contrast to the separatists’ missed deadlines and amateur mistakes, proving who’s truly ready to handle the heavy lifting of provincial governance. Thomas Lukaszuk, a former deputy premier and long-serving MLA, leveraged decades of Alberta political experience to orchestrate the campaign.
That outcome wasn’t a trick of the law—it was a straightforward consequence of preparation. The law exists to prevent conflicting ballots. If two ballots ask the same core question, only the one filed first advances. The separatists might have counted on new rules under Bill 54, which lowered signature thresholds on July 4. But rules don’t override procedure: you claim priority by meeting the existing standards, not by waiting for easier targets.
The Alberta Prosperity Project now faces a choice: watch someone else collect nearly 300,000 signatures, or try to rally volunteers to defeat that petition at the ballot box. Either way, they’ve relinquished control. A movement that can’t manage a filing deadline looks more like an amateur operation than a serious political force.
Perhaps worst of all, their public statements have undercut their own credibility. On social media they reposted objections, misspelling “Lukaszuk” and insisting “THIS IS NOT OUR PETITION.” Such errors might seem minor, but they signal an organization that isn’t attending to detail. If you trip over your own name in a tweet, how will you handle oil revenues, health care budgets, or treaty negotiations?
Contrast that with the pro-Canada effort: clear timelines, early legal review, volunteer outreach ready to go. They understood the rules, acted decisively, and earned their spot first. That kind of discipline builds trust. Voters tend to back campaigns that demonstrate reliability, not those that stumble over basic tasks.
This isn’t about stifling debate over Alberta’s future. Healthy democracies welcome competing ideas. But ideas must be matched by execution. You can grandstand about independence, but if you can’t file a form on time, you haven’t shown you can govern anything—let alone an entire province (or country, or 51st state)
Ultimately, this episode underscores a simple principle: competence matters. Voters judge not just by the passion of a campaign, but by its professionalism. A movement that can’t meet a filing deadline leaves Albertans wondering whether it can handle the far greater responsibilities of independence—managing budgets, negotiating trade, or delivering services.
For now, round one goes to the pro-Canada side. They showed up on time, followed the rules, and locked in their question. The separatists are left scrambling for a plan B. And until they prove they can manage more than press releases, they’ll struggle to win serious support for any proposal—separatist or otherwise.
Bravo Thomas. Bravo.