A Canadian judge has tossed out a petition to make the province of Alberta independent of Canada, ruling that the province is required to consult with the indigenous peoples in Canada, called First Nations. 

Alberta Premier Danielle Smith called the ruling Wednesday "anti-democratic" and has vowed to appeal. 

The judge also ruled that the province's chief election officer should never have issued the petition in the first place, CTV News reported. 

Stay Free Canada said last week that it formally submitted to Alberta election officials 302,000 signatures of the 178,000 names it needs for the measure to get on the ballot. 

Lawyers representing First Nations argued the petition is unconstitutional for not including consultations with them. The petition, they also argued, would violate treaty rights. 

Smith, who doesn't support the measure, has been critical of the federal Liberal government's regulations that she says impede the province's ability to produce and export oil, costing Alberta billions of dollars.