A Canadian judge has quashed a petition for an independence referendum in Alberta after finding First Nations were not consulted, dealing a blow to separatist hopes in the country’s western province. Justice Shaina Leonard of the Court of King’s Bench on Wednesday shut down the effort by a separatist group to hold a referendum on secession from Canada . Leonard said Alberta’s provincial government had an obligation to consult with First Nations before allowing organizers to collect signatures. Two First Nations groups argued that any referendum would violate their treaties with the Crown, which predate the creation of Alberta. “As a matter of logic and common sense, there can be no doubt that Alberta’s secession from Canada will have an impact on Treaties 7 and 8,” the judge wrote in her decision.…