Blame Game Erupts After Alberta's Overwhelming 'Remain' Vote While Albertans decisively chose to stay in Canada, a dispute has arisen over who is responsible for the referendum being held. Premier Smith blames petitioners, while Lukaszuk contends the government manipulated the question to fit its own narrative. The referendum result is clear: a strong 75% of Alberta voters wish to remain Canadian. However, the debate now shifts to how this question ended up on the ballot. Premier Danielle Smith points to Thomas Lukaszuk and the Forever Canada movement, citing a 400,000-signature petition that triggered the process. Lukaszuk disputes this, claiming his intent was to prevent a separation referendum, and that the final ballot question was crafted by the premier's office. Elections Alberta confirms the submission was a policy proposal, not a constitutional referendum, leaving the ultimate decision up to the government.