UCP MLA and parliamentary secretary doubles down on support for independence referendum

OTTAWA — Alberta United Conservative Party MLA Jason Stephan is doubling down on his call for a referendum on the province’s independence next year, saying the vote would be a critical expression of popular will.

Stephan said in a wide-ranging interview with the National Post that it’s time for Albertans to have their say on the province’s future in a united Canada, after a decade of punitive Liberal policies has brought the province to a breaking point.

“Alberta has unfortunately suffered greatly under the government that we have in Ottawa, and I’m very much in favour of a robust public discussion about something that has impacted Albertans so deeply,” said Stephan.

“I think a referendum would be a very important part of that conversation because it would give Albertans a chance to weigh objective facts and choose accordingly.”

Stephan wouldn’t say how he’d vote in said referendum.

“I’d look to arm myself with the truth, as best as I understand it, and then make a decision based on the merits. My hope would be for each and every Albertan to do the same,” said Stephan.

He did say that the question put forward by the pro-independence Alberta Prosperity Project (APP) — “Do you agree that Alberta shall become a Sovereign country and cease to be a province of Canada?” — is a fair one to put to Albertans.

“I do have faith and confidence in the merit of the question the (APP) has put forward. It’s pretty clean, clear and unambiguous,” said Stephan.

He said he disagreed with the decision of Alberta’s chief electoral officer, Gordon McClure, to refer the question to the courts , a move that means that APP canvassers won’t be able to start collecting signatures until winter at the earliest.

Stephan said that the judicial review itself reflected a troubling pattern of courts overreaching into legislative domains , a trend he hopes to help beat back in his new role  as the UCP government’s parliamentary secretary for constitutional affairs.

He was appointed to the constitutional affairs post in late May, two weeks after becoming the first Alberta MLA to publicly call for an independence referendum.

Stephan, a lawyer by training, said that activist judges could be a canary in a coal mine indicating a coming crisis in Canada’s constitutional order.

“Our judiciary is a very important institution (but) when we see courts moving into areas that are clearly outside of our lane, that’s where you start to see an erosion of trust among the public,” said Stephan.

“If you compare our country to a house, I think of our Constitution as the foundation. Once that foundation erodes, unfortunately, it puts the whole house at risk of caving in.”

Stephan raised a number of eyebrows, including among his fellow conservatives , in July when he said in a press release that Alberta should cut ties with King Charles III.

He was unrepentant when asked about the statement on Wednesday.

“Symbols matter. Having a figurehead king makes it easier for us to have a de facto king between elections.” Stephan was referring to the period between Prime Minister Mark Carney’s victory in the Liberal leadership race in March and when he faced the broader electorate in a federal election in April.

Stephan said that he favoured a system of “checks and balances”, like the one used in the U.S., but did allow that President Donald Trump has tested that system’s limits.

“Unfortunately, the current president sometimes acts in ways that we haven’t seen from other presidents (but) I don’t think I’d define the U.S. system and its success by reference to one president,” said Stephan.

He said that one thing the U.S. got entirely right was the concept of a government by and for the people.

“I’m a pretty big fan of the principle of popular sovereignty,” said Stephan.

Stephen that he sees his role in a future referendum campaign as an honest broker of information, rather than a cheerleader for one side or another.

“If there’s lying or fear-mongering, I will speak up to refute that,” said Stephen.

“I think it’s my duty to speak the truth as best as I understand it. I’ve done that and I will continue to do that.”

National Post rmohamed@postmedia.com

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