The Line: Alberta Podcast
The Line: Alberta Podcast, hosted by veteran broadcaster and columnist Rob Breakenridge, is a weekly show that takes a closer look at stories that matter to Albertans and all Canadians. For more, go to Alberta.ReadTheLine.ca.
The Line: Alberta Podcast
As the fight over Alberta's future heats up, Forever Canadian pivots to campaign mode
The topic of Alberta separation has been thrust into the national spotlight, amid the ongoing petition campaign by separatists to force a referendum, and reports about possible U.S. involvement. We've heard provocative comments from Trump's treasury secretary and other Republican and MAGA figures. We've also had new reports about Alberta separatist delegations to Washington, D.C. to seek out meeting with Trump administration officials
The group Forever Canadian was launched last year to either head off a referendum or beat the separatists to the punch. However, subsequent legislative tweaks allowed the Alberta government to bypass the duplicate petition rule, and bypass the "no unconstitutional questions" rule to make sure the separatists could proceed with their petition (under the new lower signature threshold, of course).
We speak with Forever Canadian founder - and former Alberta MLA and cabinet minister - Thomas Lukaszuk about why Premier Smith went out of her way to accommodate the separatists, what she needs to say and do about possible foreign interference, the concerns about this moment of political uncertainty, and where this is all headed. Forever Canadian is now shifting from a petition-oriented cause to one now focused on defeating separatism at the ballot box.