St. Albert volunteers collect signatures for Forever Canadian campaign

Canvasser Allan Hayduk gathers signatures at his booth on Sept. 13. Jessica Campbell/St. Albert Gazette

The Forever Canadian petition, which seeks to put the question of Alberta remaining in Canada on a provincial ballot, was front and centre in St. Albert over the weekend as local volunteers set up booths near the St. Albert Farmers' Market.

Canvasser Allan Hayduk said on Saturday, Sept. 13, that he never imagined he would be petitioning in the streets.

“If you told me five years ago, I’d be standing in the street trying to save the country, I’d have laughed at you," he said. "But no, we’re here."

Hayduk, who has been out canvassing four times in the city, said he hears a range of views from residents.

“The vast majority are really enthusiastic ... I’m rather shocked at the number of people who say, ‘Yes, we really want to be part of Canada, but we don’t sign stuff,’” he said. “And then the third group, much to my surprise, this morning, I’ve had nine people say to me, ‘No, I want to be an American. I want to leave Canada. We should join the States.’”

Hayduk, who often canvasses with his wife, said that while the number of people signing has been steady, he didn’t realize how many signatures were actually needed. 

“What brings home for me is how many 300,000 was?" he said. "I thought I knew how much 300,000 was."

For others, joining the petition drive has been a way to channel their feelings about the province’s future.

“I think it was just a way for us to do something,” said Jacqueline McLeod. “We feel like we're Canadian first, Albertans second. I want to remain in Canada, and I like what the campaign stands for. So it felt like it was just a way to be doing something positive.”

McLeod said that while she has faced some difficult encounters, most interactions have been encouraging.

“One of the things that we keep talking about is the conversations, the positive conversations that we've been able to have with people, the number of people we've met in our neighbourhood that we didn’t know before, and just all the people thanking us for doing this,” she said. “We go home feeling really full, and it just makes us feel good about what we're doing.”

Dixie Lee-Smerek, another canvasser, said volunteering has been her way of participating in an important debate.

“I feel very passionate about our place in Canada," she said. "I know that for me, this is a really important question, and I can stay at home and complain and beat my head, or I can get out and do something. So this is my way of participating in something that I'm passionate about.”

Lee-Smerek said she prefers hosting booths at public events over door-to-door canvassing. 

“The nice thing about this is that we have chosen not to go door-to-door,” said Lee-Smerek. “People come to us if they want to sign, which is nice, rather than me going to their door.”

Fellow canvasser Carolyn Dickey agreed that the pop-up events are important for raising awareness.

“It is kind of amazing," she said. "Some people have not heard of it at all, so to see us there, they wander over and they say, ‘Oh, what is this?’ But when they do hear about it, then they come and sign."

Dickey added that if the effort does lead to a referendum, she hopes the question will be worded in a straightforward way.

“I think that if it has to go to a referendum, the question on the referendum needs to be very basic, very plain, so that everybody understands,” said Dickey.

The Forever Canadian campaign must collect 293,697 verified signatures by Oct. 28. With only in-person signatures allowed, organizers are holding events across Alberta, and St. Albert volunteers said they plan to keep setting up booths in the weeks ahead.

Article published by the St. Albert Gazette