A committee vote on the Forever Canadian petition was delayed Wednesday after the UCP caucus released a statement announcing the result before MLAs had officially voted.
The petition asks Albertans whether the province should remain in Canada and could appear on the Oct. 19 referendum ballot.
The UCP news release quoted committee chair and MLA Brandon Lunty as saying the motion had already passed. Alberta NDP house leader Christina Gray argued this disrespected MLAs and unfairly influenced the debate.
Opposition members then voted against extending the meeting past 3:30 p.m., which ended the session before the committee could vote on the motion.
Earlier in the meeting, Forever Canadian petition organizer Thomas Lukaszuk said he preferred the issue be decided in the legislature instead of a referendum. However, UCP ministers argued the petition clearly called for a referendum vote.
At an earlier meeting, experts told the committee the petition is a policy issue, meaning MLAs could decide it in the legislature instead of holding a provincewide vote.
The committee is expected to meet again at a later date.
