"The first was the Citizen Initiative Act, which allowed any voter in Alberta to launch a petition for a proposed policy change, a proposed legislative change, or a proposed referendum, provided they gathered enough signatures within ninety days (10 percent of voters for policy and legislative proposals and 20 percent for referendums). The second was its sister legislation, the Recall Act. It allows citizens to organize formal petition drives to recall municipal politicians, school board trustees, and members of the legislature."
"The UCP, which counts some would-be separatists among its ranks, tinkers with the Citizen Initiative Act. The government lowers the number of required signatures on constitutional initiatives to 10 percent of eligible voters and increases the timeline for collecting signatures to 120 days. This makes it easier to meet the bar for a referendum and paves the way for a vote on separation."
Two provincial laws enacted in June 2021 created tools for citizen-led petitions and recalls. The Citizen Initiative Act allows any voter to start petitions for policy, legislative, or referendum proposals if they reach signature thresholds within a deadline. The Recall Act permits formal petition drives to remove municipal politicians, school trustees, and legislature members. In spring 2025 the UCP government lowered the signature threshold to 10 percent for constitutional initiatives and extended the collection period to 120 days, easing the path to a referendum. A campaign called Forever Canadian launched a petition asking whether Alberta should remain in Canada, mobilizing canvassers across the province.
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