The Alberta government wants the province's electoral officer to drop a request for a court ruling on whether a proposed referendum question is constitutional.
Alberta Chief Electoral Officer Gordon McClure said he had asked the Court of King's Bench to rule whether a citizen-led referendum proposal conforms to the Election Act.
Under provincial law, the court must schedule a hearing date within 10 days of receiving the question.
Mitch Silvestre, of the Alberta Prosperity Project, wants the referendum question: "Do you agree that the Province of Alberta shall become a sovereign country and ease to be a province in Canada?" to go Albertans for a vote.
Premier Danielle Smith and Justice Minister Mickey Amery said the referendum initiative should be allowed to go ahead.
"The recently passed amendments to the Citizen Initiative Act are intended to be broadly permissive and to allow Albertans the opportunity to launch a referendum petition without needless bureaucratic red tape or court applications slowing the process," Amery posted on X Tuesday morning.
"As it is the Government of Alberta that ultimately decides how or if to implement any referendum result, those government decisions will ultimately be subject to constitutional scrutiny.
"We encourage Elections Alberta to withdraw its court reference and permit Albertans their democratic right to participate in the citizen initiative process."
The premier also posted on social media: "Although I believe in Alberta sovereignty within a united Canada, Minister (Mickey Amery) is right.
"Albertans have a democratic right to participate in the citizen initiative process. They shouldn't be slowed down by bureaucratic red tape or court applications."
The electoral officer said that a petition proposal under the Citizens Initiative Act cannot contravene the 1982 Constitution Act and a ruling is sought on that point.
If the referendum question is approved, the Prosperity Project would need to collect 177,000 signatures within four months to get its question on the ballot.
