Medicine Hat Didn't Dodge. Our MLA Did.
August 14 2025 - first day of signature collection in Medicine Hat at City Hall - file photo
They stood in the summer heat, day after day. Nearly half a million Albertans signed the Forever Canada petition, Medicine Hat led the province in signature collection. The petition was deemed successful in December.
A pregnancy takes 40 weeks. The Forever Canada petition will likely take 49 weeks just to get a committee report, long after a separatist referendum could move forward.
Holly Turnbull asked her local MLA, Justin Wright, to step in and push for faster action. His reply?
"I do not sit on the committee."
Holly Turnbull, who organized a recall petition against MLA Justin Wright, exchanged emails with Wright's office about the Forever Canada petition. Turnbull provided the email chain to the Medicine Hat Owl.
The Forever Canada petition asked: “Do you agree that Alberta should remain in Canada?” Elections Alberta verified 438,568 valid signatures.
The Owl did the math
The Email Exchange
On April 26, 2026, Turnbull emailed Wright. She asked him to support directing the Select Special Citizen Initiative Proposal Review Committee to complete its work on the Forever Canada petition before the Legislature rises for the summer.
Wright replied on April 27. He wrote: “The committee’s work inevitably takes time to ensure it is conducted properly, fairly, and in accordance with the requirements set out in law.” He also wrote that the Forever Canada application had created “understandable confusion” because it asked a referendum question but was filed as a policy proposal.
Turnbull responded: “Respectfully, your reply doesn’t answer the question I asked.”
On April 28, Wright’s office wrote: “I do not sit on the committee, nor am I involved in its deliberations or have any oversight with respect to its processes, timelines, or decisions.”
Turnbull told the Owl “The committee exists because the Legislative Assembly created it. The issue is not whether MLA Wright personally sits on the committee. The issue is whether he will use his role as an MLA and government caucus member to ensure the committee does not run out the clock.”
Background
The Forever Canada petition was deemed successful by Elections Alberta on December 1, 2025. On March 10, 2026, it was referred to the Select Special Citizen Initiative Proposal Review Committee. This was the last day allowed by law.
The committee held its first meeting on April 21, 2026. At that meeting, opposition MLAs proposed a timeline to complete work by May 7. UCP committee members voted against that proposal. The committee also voted against a request to have Thomas Lukaszuk, the Forever Canada petition organizer, appear before the committee.
At the same meeting, it was stated that the 90 day reporting period ends June 8, 2026. Because the Legislature will not be sitting on that date, the next deadline is November 11, 2026 (15 days after the start of the fall sitting).
Rule Changes
On July 4, 2025, Bill 54 became law. The bill changed the Citizen Initiative Act:
The signature requirement changed from 10% of all eligible voters to 10% of the number of people who voted in the previous provincial general election.
The signature collection period increased from 90 days to 120 days.
The requirement for constitutional referendum petitions to get 20% of signatures in two thirds of Alberta’s ridings was removed.
A later bill, Bill 14, removed a 5 year block on conflicting petitions.
The separatist petition filed its notice of intent on December 11, 2025, after these changes took effect.
Lukaszuk’s Statement
After the April 21 committee meeting, Thomas Lukaszuk said on social media:
“3 UCP legislature committee members forced a vote through to deny me, the proponent of #ForeverCanadian petition, Alberta’s largest ever petition, to appear before the committee and speak on behalf of the nearly 500,000 Albertans. Sadly, Alberta’s Indigenous Relations minister voted in favor of the separatist agenda. This is another move to assist the separatists.”
Protests
Protesters have gathered outside the constituency office of either MLA Wright or Premier Danielle Smith every Saturday from 11 a.m. to noon for more than a year. They have gathered in -30 C weather. Many of these protesters worked on the Forever Canada signature collection campaign.
According to Lukaszuk, Medicine Hat gathered a disproportionate number of signatures compared to the rest of the province. The Forever Canada Unity Bus visited Medicine Hat on October 17, 2025.
Court Challenge
On April 10, 2026, the Court of King’s Bench of Alberta granted a temporary stay on certifying the separatist petition results. The stay applies while the court considers a constitutional challenge from the Athabasca Chipewyan First Nation and the Blackfoot Confederacy. The plaintiffs argue that a separatist referendum would violate treaty rights. The judge stated that the decision does not affect the collection of signatures, which can continue until the May 2 deadline.
Current Status
As of April 28, 2026, MLA Wright has not provided the answer Turnbull requested regarding whether he will support directing the committee to complete its work before the summer break. The Select Special Citizen Initiative Proposal Review Committee has not set a firm deadline for its report beyond the November 11, 2026 legislative deadline. The separatist petition signature collection period ends May 2, 2026.
How Long It Actually Takes
The Forever Canada petition was deemed successful on December 1, 2025. The committee reviewing it may not report until November 11, 2026. That is 49 weeks. For comparison, a human pregnancy takes 40 weeks.
But a committee report is not a vote. If the committee recommends a referendum, the law requires that vote to be held on or before October 18, 2027 the date of the next provincial general election. The government could choose to hold it earlier, but there is no guarantee.
Meanwhile, the separatist referendum could be on the ballot as early as October 19, 2026 just 46 weeks after Forever Canada was deemed successful. The separatists could get their vote a full year before the pro Canada side even gets a committee recommendation.
What the Committee Could Actually Do
The committee has two options.
1 - It could recommend the Forever Canada petition go to a referendum. That vote would happen by October 18, 2027 at the latest.
2 - Or it could simply table a report with policy recommendations and no referendum at all.
In that case, the nearly 500,000 signatures would result in a report and nothing more.
No vote.
Justin Wright at the end of the row) at the Alberta Next Panel in Medicine Hat, Sept 2 2025
No referendum.
Just words on paper.
Critics on social media have speculated that the government never intended to address this petition. They point to the delays, the rule changes that benefited separatists, and the vote to silence Lukaszuk as evidence.
Killing the petition outright would be politically risky - 450,000 people is a lot of angry voters.
But running out the clock until after the separatist referendum?
Critics say that might have been the plan all along.
The Owl has reached out to Justin Wright for comment. No reply has yet been received by the time of publication. It will be published when received.
Timeline of Events
May 15, 2025: Bill 54 receives Royal Assent but is not yet in force.
June 30 2025: Elections Alberta approves Thomas Lukaszuk's Forever Canada petition application.
July 4, 2025: Bill 54 comes into force, changing the Citizen Initiative Act. The new lower signature threshold is now the law.
July 30 2025: Forever Canada signature collection begins. Because the approval happened before July 4, the petition is "grandfathered" under the old rules.
October 28, 2025: Forever Canada signature collection ends.
December 1, 2025: The Forever Canada petition is deemed successful by Elections Alberta. The petition is submitted to the Speaker of the Legislative Assembly.
December 11, 2025: The separatist petition files its notice of intent.
January 2, 2026: The separatist petition is issued. Signature collection begins.
March 10, 2026: The Forever Canada petition is referred to the Select Special Citizen Initiative Proposal Review Committee; the last day allowed by law.
April 10, 2026: Court of King’s Bench grants a temporary stay on certifying the separatist petition results. Signature collection can continue until May 2.
April 21, 2026: The Select Special Citizen Initiative Proposal Review Committee holds its first meeting. UCP members vote down a fast timeline and vote against hearing from Thomas Lukaszuk. The committee identifies November 11, 2026 as the likely reporting deadline.
April 26, 2026: Holly Turnbull emails Cypress - Medicine Hat MLA Justin Wright.
April 27, 2026: Wright replies.
April 28, 2026: Further email exchange between Turnbull and Wright’s office.
May 2, 2026: The separatist petition signature collection period ends.
October 19, 2026: Scheduled provincial referendum date.
November 11, 2026: Likely deadline for the special committee to report on the Forever Canada petition. This is 49 weeks after the petition was deemed successful.
October 18, 2027: Final deadline for a Forever Canada referendum if the committee recommends one. The government could choose to hold it earlier, but unlikely given their inaction so far.
