Alberta NDP says last-minute petition meeting may signal referendum vote

By Lisa Johnson Alberta’s Opposition says the decision by Premier Danielle Smith’s United Conservatives to schedule a last-minute committee meeting suggests the government might be looking for a new way to get a separation question on a fall referendum. A bipartisan legislature committee headed up by the UCP is to meet Wednesday to discuss a pro-Canada petition put forward by former deputy premier Thomas Lukaszuk. Lukaszuk gathered more than 400,000 names to force either a legislature vote or a provincewide referendum on keeping Alberta in Canada. The committee has been discussing what to do w…