Conservative Leader Andrew Scheer supports a United Canada but avoids condemning Alberta’s Separation Referendum

The Conservative Leader in the House of Commons says he “can absolutely advocate for a united Canada,” but won’t specifically condemn a possible referendum on Alberta separation. “I’ll leave it to provincial premiers to handle what’s going on in their province,” Andrew Scheer told media, when pressed on why he wouldn’t explicitly say a referendum on separation is the wrong path. “I’m not a resident of Alberta, I’m a resident of Saskatchewan,” Scheer added. “That’s not something that our premier has been talking about, but I can certainly advocate for a united Canada.” Support for a referendum on separation appears to be gaining steam online in recent weeks. Alberta Premier Danielle Smith’s government, meanwhile, tabled legislation last month to reduce the threshold for a petition to trigger a referendum. The legislation, if passed, would both reduce the number of signatures required and extend the time period for signatures to be collected. Smith media earlier this month that her government will not be putting a vote to separate on a ballot. However, she said, her government “will respect the democratic process” and include the question on separation on a referendum ballot next year, if a petition meets the threshold. Conservatives won the vast majority of seats in both Alberta and Saskatchewan in last month’s election. When pressed on whether it’s incumbent on his party to do whatever it can to dispel the idea that separation is the solution, Scheer said the “quickest and best way” to counter Albertan alienation and quash the push for a referendum is by repealing a series of Liberal bills. “I think it’s incumbent on Canadians to work towards that united Canada,” he said. “That’s certainly what our party is going to do.”