Good morning everyone.

When an Alberta judge struck down a separatist group’s petition in favour of a secession vote on Wednesday, saying the Crown failed in its duty to consult First Nations, the question on everyone’s mind was a simple one: now what?

Of course the answer is anything but simple. With so many competing parties, there is no easy solution that will get Alberta out of this constitutional conundrum. It’s going to be messy.

Premier Danielle Smith, not long after Court of King’s Bench Justice Shaina Leonard issued her ruling, had this to say:

“We think this decision is incorrect in law and anti-democratic.”

And that has set the stage for what could be a drawn-out legal fight that might not even be resolved in time for an independence question to be added to the already scheduled October referendum.

The Premier has vowed to appeal the court decision. At least one legal expert believes she could be successful.

“It is far from clear that appellate courts will endorse it,” said Patrick Taillon, a law professor at Laval University. He described the judgment as unusual and controversial.

Mitch Sylvestre, the separatist activist who lead the petition campaign to collect the roughly 301,000 signatures in favour of independence, has said his group will also appeal.

He and other separatists are also urging Smith to use her power to forgo the citizen initiative process and add a secession question to the October ballot anyway.

“We believe it is not unreasonable to ask our government to put that on a ballot and let the people decide,” Sylvestre said.

“We’ve always been aware that the best path for this is for the Premier to put it on the ballot.”

Smith said Wednesday that her cabinet and caucus will discuss whether that is something her government should do.

She also said she planned to discuss Wednesday’s ruling with leaders in Quebec, where the Parti Québécois has promised to hold a sovereignty referendum if the party wins the provincial election this fall.

PQ Leader Paul St-Pierre Plamondon told reporters in Montreal on Thursday that he was watching the fallout from the Alberta judgment, but wasn’t particularly concerned about how it would affect a possible Quebec referendum.

“I hope Alberta will reaffirm what all provinces should affirm, that our legislatures have the right to determine consultations of its own population without the federal government uselessly intervening,” he said.

And all of this is happening as the Premier and Prime Minister Mark Carney get set to sign a landmark energy deal on Friday that could pave the way for a new bitumen pipeline to the west coast.

Speaking on Thursday about the court ruling, Carney was clear in saying that rules must be followed when it comes to independence referendums, and that includes taking care not to trample the rights of Indigenous peoples.

“We have standards and an ability for provinces to hold referenda on a variety of subjects. Obviously, we support that,” he said. “That means respecting the rights of Indigenous peoples.”

How any of this affects Alberta’s relationship with Ottawa going forward is just another unanswered question for now.

Smith and Carney are expected to stand side-by-side in Calgary on Friday to unveil the framework of their deal.

This is the weekly Alberta newsletter written by Alberta Bureau Chief Mark Iype. If you’re reading this on the web, or it was forwarded to you from someone else, you can sign up for it and all Globe newsletters here.