Canada Court Quashes Alberta Separatists’ Bid for Referendum
A separatist supporter holds a box during a rally in front of the Elections Alberta headquarters in Edmonton on May 4.
Photographer: Henry Marken/AFP/Getty ImagesAn Alberta court ruled that political activists can’t proceed with a petition to force a vote on seceding from Canada because the government failed to meet its duty to consult with Indigenous peoples.
The decision from the Court of King’s Bench on Wednesday is a major setback for the independence movement in Alberta, the western Canadian province that holds most of the country’s known oil reserves and exports millions of barrels a day of crude to the US.