In Canada, court will consider constitutionality of proposed secession referendum

A petition to hold a referendum on whether Alberta should become an independent country has been referred to the Court of King's Bench to determine if the question violates the Constitution.  A referendum is when electors in the province are asked to vote “Yes” or “No” on a single, specific question, according to information from Elections Alberta, the organization in charge of running referendums.  The question Elections Alberta referred to courts, submitted by Mitch Sylvestre, asks: “Do you agree that the Province of Alberta shall become a sovereign country and cease to be a province in Canada?”  According to a July 28 provincial media release, Chief Electoral Officer Gordon McClure made the referral under the Citizen Initiative Act to ensure the proposal complies with the Constitution Act, 1982, particularly with sections 1 to 35.1.  The Court of King's Bench will now determine whether the proposed question can proceed.
Read the full article here: The Albertan