Elections Alberta determined that the Stay Free Alberta petition met the signature requirements under the current Citizen Initiative Act.
Claimed by: Elections Alberta news release, July 24, 2026
True: True as written according to the settled evidence. How we rate.
Summary
On July 24, 2026, Elections Alberta reported that verification of the A Referendum Relating to Alberta Independence citizen initiative petition was complete. Chief electoral officer Gordon McClure determined the petition met the requirements of section 6 under the Citizen Initiative Act in force on May 1, 2026. Elections Alberta counted 279,337 valid signatures and, using random statistical sampling at a 95 percent confidence level, estimated 222,597 verified signatures, above the current threshold of 177,732 signatures, equal to 10 percent of votes cast in the 2023 provincial general election. That finding does not by itself advance the proposal. The Court of King's Bench had quashed approval of the petition in May 2026, and Elections Alberta said any further steps in the citizen initiative process remain stayed pending direction from the Court of Appeal.
Evidence
On July 24, 2026, Elections Alberta announced verification was complete, reporting 279,337 valid signatures counted and 222,597 verified signatures through statistical sampling, above the 177,732 required under the current 10 percent threshold.
Elections Alberta said further steps in the citizen initiative process are on hold because the petition approval was quashed on judicial review and remains under appeal; next steps depend on the Court of Appeal.
CBC reported Elections Alberta verified nearly 223,000 signatures while noting the petition remains largely moot pending the appeal of the May ruling that quashed it.
Related claims
- 700,000 Albertans signed petitions demanding a referendum on separation.Needs context
- If 10% of Albertans sign a citizen initiative petition, the government must hold a binding referendum on that question.False
- The Alberta government appealed the court ruling that quashed the Stay Free Alberta separation petition.True
- An Alberta Court of Appeal judge granted a partial stay allowing Elections Alberta to verify Stay Free Alberta petition signatures while the appeal proceeds.True
- The Stay Free Alberta petition would not have met Alberta's pre-July 2025 threshold for a constitutional-referendum initiative.True