"Crass, Ugly, Cheap Politics": Former Deputy Premier Slams Smith's Referendum Questions
Unity Bus Rolls into Medicine Hat: Former Deputy Premier Fires Back at Premier Smith
The "Unity Bus" rolled into Medicine Hat on Saturday, bringing a message of Canadian pride – and some strong words for Premier Danielle Smith (MLA for Brooks-Medicine Hat).
Dozens of people were in attendance by the time the Owl got there - the temperature was about 39C but a good breeze made it pleasant. Organizers served cake, water, and handed out free unity signs - nearly 200 in two hours.
Background
Lukaszuk came to Canada from Poland with his family in 1982. He served as a Progressive Conservative MLA for 14 years and became Alberta's first Polish-born deputy premier. Now, he's fighting to keep Alberta in Canada. He's the man behind a massive petition that asked a simple question: "Do you agree that Alberta should remain within Canada?"
That petition was a huge success, gathering over 456,000 signatures. But critics have raised concerns that the government is running out the clock, and Lukaszuk himself has accused some UCP committee members of "assisting the separatists" by blocking his testimony.
The petition was referred to a legislative committee on March 10, 2026 - the last day allowed by law - and the committee has not set a firm deadline beyond November 11, 2026, a full 49 weeks after the petition was certified. At the committee's first meeting, UCP members voted against a fast timeline and against allowing Lukaszuk to speak on behalf of the nearly 500,000 signatories.
Awakened Patriotism, Not Nationalism
He says this movement has "awakened patriotism, not nationalism, but patriotism." He compares it to how Canadians get excited during the Olympics or hockey games.
"We get enthusiastic about being Canadian," Lukaszuk says. "This is a growing up moment for Canada. Our democracy is very fragile. We have to define ourselves as who we are and why we are so proud of being Canadian."
Accusations Against the Premier
Lukaszuk isn't holding back when it comes to Premier Danielle Smith. He's accusing her of acting like a separatist, even though she says she isn't one.
"Obviously we have a separatist government," Lukaszuk says bluntly.
He points to a recent event where the premier was on a float with only Alberta flags. "You know it is a separatist float," he says, calling it heartbreaking.
The UCP government has added a question about whether Alberta should remain in Canada or start a process to hold a binding vote on separation. Critics call it a referendum to hold a referendum.
Lukaszuk says this wasn't what Albertans asked for. "80 percent of Albertans do not want this referendum," he claims. "Over 50 percent of the caucus love it."
He also points out that while two premiers in Quebec had a mandate from voters to hold referendums on separation, Smith didn't run on that platform. "Our premier is the third premier to put the future of our country, the unity of our country to a referendum but she never had a mandate to do it," he says.
"If the premier says she is not a separatist, she is certainly not showing it," Lukaszuk adds. He said not one UCP MLA has come out to help them, no Conservative MPs either.
Immigration Questions Called "Cheap Politics"
Lukaszuk was also asked about the anti-immigrant questions on the October referendum. He didn't mince words.
"Politics at its ugliest – crass, ugly, cheap politics," he says. "Scoring political points on the most vulnerable."
He points to the contradiction of the government asking the federal government to bring more immigrants to Alberta, but then wanting to deny them health care and education.
"She can’t do that, it's against our Charter," he says. "It's about Premier Smith staying in office, it's about coddling up to her radical base."
Many Municipal Politicians Scared to Speak Up
Lukaszuk says he's glad the "Vote to Stay" group is doing its work, but says that city councillors across the province are scared to speak out.
"Most city councillors are federalist, but they say we cannot come out as pro-Canadian as this government is vindictive and our city will pay the price for it," he says.
"They are very careful about their pro-Canadian stance because there is a perception that our provincial government is not pro-Canadian," Lukaszuk adds. "They don't want to offend the provincial government because their funding is dependent on them."
Proud to be Canadian
Lukaszuk says he's incredibly proud to be Canadian.
"When I travel I always wear maple leaves and have my Canadian passport," he says. "Canada is one of the last remaining beacons of sanity in the world."
He points to what's happening in the United States, with Putin in Ukraine, and in the Middle East. "People are looking at Canada now," he says. "The European Union wants us to join because we are a values-based country. We stand for certain things. We don't waver. We have strong democratic institutions. We have a phenomenal reputation. People love Canadians."
"We should be reflecting on this and we should be collectively proud," he says. "We are a G7 country, one of the strongest economies in the world. Most people in the world would give up anything to be Canadian."
