Separatist organizer unco-operative in investigation: Elections Alberta | Hanomansing Tonight

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[00:00:00]So, where does Alberta's separatism movement go from here? For that, we've reached Max Faucet. He is the lead columnist for Canada's National Observer, which is an independent news organization. Max, it's great to have you on the program. Thanks for your time.

[00:00:14]>> Thanks for having me on.

[00:00:16]>> Um, so your thoughts here? I mean, how is the investigation going to be impacted if the organizer of this group doesn't cooperate with Elections Alberta and, you know, abide by the cease and desist?

[00:00:29]I mean, it's going to make a hard job even more difficult. You know, it was already going to take a lot of time uh in a period where I think we need some pretty quick answers here and and you know, Alberta has a history of of investigations like this into uh you know, elections issues specifically with the United Conservative Party and they tend to take years. Um and we are scheduled to have a referendum vote in October possibly on Alberta's place in Canada. We don't have years. We barely have months. So, um there's clearly a mismatch between the the timeline for the investigation, the resources that the investigation has, the the willingness of people to participate, uh and the outcome that Albertans need.

[00:01:11]>> I mean, so the separatists uh were able to provide more than well more than the number of signatures that were needed, which was the actual number 178,000.

[00:01:22]Um and yet this process is in legal limbo as you've just sort of identified there. I mean should a referendum move forward?

[00:01:32]>> Absolutely not. Um, you know, I you can't have uh a vote on really anything, but certainly not something this existential when there is such obvious question about the legitimacy of the process uh and the ability of voters and people, you know, 2.9 million people who have had their personal identification or their personal details revealed to participate in the democratic process.

[00:01:55]It creates a chilling effect. Um, it it just adds more questions to a process that really shouldn't have any of them.

[00:02:02]Um, but I don't think that's going to stop the premier here. I mean, she has she has from the very beginning made it clear that she is going to bend over backwards to accommodate these people.

[00:02:10]You know, you mentioned that it has the the requisite number of signatures, the petition, but she lowered that for them.

[00:02:15]Uh, there was a previous petition that had to get far more than that. Uh, and that was a petition to stay in Canada.

[00:02:20]So, she has bent over backwards to make life as easy as possible for the separatists who basically run her party uh and by extension my province. Um, and I don't see any situation where that's not going to continue to be the case. I I just can't imagine her um not holding a referendum on independence because I think she knows that the people in her party, you know, the the the separatists who form apparently a majority of her members, uh, will do to her what they did to Jason Kenny, which is remove her as premier, remove her as leader, and put in somebody else.

[00:02:51]>> Right. So, those are her supporters that you're talking about that would view her that way, and maybe that would affect votes for her. Um but overall the the province I mean not everybody you know votes conservative. How is what is the feeling right now about uh the premier and I guess I I don't I wouldn't call it support but you know not maybe condemning as you say uh the actions of this this movement.

[00:03:17]>> Yeah. I think there's a feeling of I don't want to say helplessness on the part of of procanada supporters but a sense that the premier of the province who is supposed to be defending the interests of the province is really only working in the name of a small number of people who are you know members of her party and and who are uh largely supportive of separatism. It really does feel like uh not a government of the people for the people but a government for a very small number of people and and that's I think alarming for a lot of us. Uh what's also alarming is that there really isn't anyone who is stepping up to to fight for the Canadian side. You know, I I think the prospect of a Liberal prime minister uh you know, sort of trying to take it on in Alberta is not a good idea and I think the prime minister understands that. But sure would be nice if the leader of the official opposition, who's a member of parliament from Alberta, who grew up here, uh Mr. Pierre Polyv, if he would step up and and defend Canada. He's been very quiet on this issue. has been very uh invisible and and so you know the the procanada forces are kind of looking for a leader uh and I'm not sure that one is going to step up in in the near term at least >> and meanwhile you have you know elections Alberta Alberta elections as the the sort of sole you know the the enforcer or the the investigator in this and it would appear you know the the the prime focus of that investigation is is thumbming his nose at this uh the investigation What kind of power does the um does this entity have?

[00:04:50]>> Not nearly enough. And and part of that is because um you know the the UCP government has has neutered it on a bunch of different occasions. You know that they've made legislative changes to that affect the way it can investigate things. The the burden of proof for uh basically what triggers an investigation. it really does feel like an organization that is being asked to do far more than it's capable of doing and and that has had its hands tied um by the government over the last two years. And so uh I I think but you know when someone like David Parker is thumbming their nose and saying he's not going to participate it it from the premier. The problem is the premier attended his wedding. Uh you know he he was responsible or largely responsible for her becoming leader in the first place. She has a bit of a conflict of interest there and I think a lot of Albertans would like to see that resolved in their favor.

[00:05:45]>> Max Faucet is the lead columnist for Canada's National Observer. Thank you so much for that.

[00:05:50]>> Appreciate it.