'We're not interested in separation': Sask. government responds to sovereignty petition

Chris Edwards · CBC News

· Posted: May 05, 2025 8:05 PM EDT | Last Updated: 5 minutes ago

A petition calling for a provincial referendum connected Saskatchewan's sovereignty has garnered astir 2,000 signatures successful 3 days, prompting responses from some the provincial authorities and the Opposition NDP.

The petition, launched by advocacy radical Unified Grassroots connected May 2, aims to "empower the provincial authorities to negociate caller presumption for Saskatchewan's narration whether arsenic portion of Canada oregon arsenic an autarkic nation."

If successful, the petition could kick-start a process to motorboat a plebiscite ballot wrong 12 months of submission to the government. In bid to beryllium submitted, it indispensable accumulate signatures from 15 per cent of eligible voters, oregon astir 125,000 signatures. The effect of the vote, adjacent if it were to favour separation, would not beryllium legally binding.

WATCH | The past of occidental separation successful Canada:

On Monday, some the provincial authorities and Saskatchewan NDP said they bash not enactment separation from Canada.  

During question play connected Monday afternoon, Saskatchewan Finance Minister Jim Reiter stated respective times that the provincial authorities does not enactment leaving Canada, but would travel the authorities connected plebiscites. 

"I'm a arrogant Canadian, each members of this broadside of the location are," Reiter said. "We're not funny successful separation.… We're besides not funny successful muzzling the voices of radical who privation to usage state of speech."

NDP jobs and system critic Aleana Young said earlier connected Monday that Premier Scott Moe could easy enactment separatism calls to rest and is choosing not to.

"I person 3 calls for Premier Moe today: one, condemn [Alberta Premier] Danielle Smith, two, condemn Unified Grassroots, and three, beryllium consecutive with the radical of Saskatchewan and accidental retired loud, intelligibly and unequivocally, that you would ballot to enactment arsenic portion of Canada," she said.

"This is simply a premier who is each excessively blessed to get along, to spell on with the fringe elements of his ain base."

The provincial authorities reiterated its stance successful a aboriginal statement.

"The Government of Saskatchewan does not enactment separating from Canada, nevertheless we besides don't enactment the presumption quo," it said. "We judge successful a beardown and agreed Saskatchewan, wrong a beardown and agreed Canada, and the relation Saskatchewan tin play successful making Canada an vigor superpower."

A nationalist ballot to abstracted from Canada tin besides hap done a government-initiated referendum. According to Saskatchewan's Referendum and Plebiscite Act, a government-led referendum would beryllium legally binding if much than 60 per cent of voters ballot for a azygous effect and astatine slightest 50 per cent of eligible voters had formed a ballot.

That process would bring respective challenges. The House of Commons would person the powerfulness to edit oregon cancel the question if it felt the wording would not intelligibly seizure the volition of the people. The national authorities would besides person to consult with each governmental parties successful the state connected the issue.

Issues specified arsenic what to bash with Crown Land and subject bases, and what to negociate with Indigenous people, would besides person to beryllium dealt with.