Discover Narcity
Get the latest and greatest stories every day in your inbox.
Separation, immigration, the Constitution: A look at Alberta's referendum questions
A look at the 10 Alberta referendum questions
THE CANADIAN PRESS/Jeff McIntosh
Here are the 10 questions Alberta Premier Danielle Smith is sending to a provincewide referendum on Monday.
Question 1: Do you support the government of Alberta taking increased control over immigration for the purposes of decreasing immigration to more sustainable levels, prioritizing economic migration and giving Albertans first priority on new employment opportunities?
What you need to know: Smith has said she wants to see Alberta have a similar accord as Quebec, which has an agreement with Ottawa that lets the province set its own eligibility requirements for economic migrants.
She said in February that a "normal" and "sustainable" level of immigration would represent less than one per cent of the population, or about 50,000 newcomers per year. But critics say Smith has failed to plan for the population growth it invited with a countrywide ad campaign in recent years.
Question 2: Do you support the government of Alberta introducing a law mandating that only Canadian citizens, permanent residents and individuals with an Alberta-approved immigration status will be eligible for provincially funded programs, such as health care, education and other social services?
What you need to know: The premier has blamed overburdened public services on rapid population growth in the past five years.
The government's website claims temporary residents cost the province more than $1 billion in health care, education and social services. Critics say those numbers don't add up and that the government is ignoring the economic contributions and benefits they bring to Alberta.
The specific effect of a yes vote is unclear, since the government says it won't define "Alberta-approved immigration status" until after the referendum.
Question 3: Assuming that all Canadian citizens and permanent residents continue to qualify for social support programs as they do now, do you support the government of Alberta introducing a law requiring all individuals with a non-permanent legal immigration status to reside in Alberta for at least 12 months before qualifying for any provincially funded social support programs?
What you need to know: The government says it won't determine which programs would be affected until after the referendum, should Albertans vote yes.
Temporary workers are already ineligible for some provincial programs, such as Assured Income for the Severely Handicapped, and the Canadian Bar Association's provincial chapter says this could run afoul of the Canada Health Act or the Charter's equality provisions.
Question 4: Assuming that all Canadian citizens and permanent residents continue to qualify for public health care and education as they do now, do you support the government of Alberta charging a reasonable fee or premium to individuals with a non-permanent immigration status living in Alberta for their and their family's use of the health care and education systems?
What you need to know: A potential new charge wouldn't be determined by the government until after the vote, though the premier told Calgary business leaders on Sept. 22 that a health premium could be as much as $1,900.
Education leaders in the province have come out against restricting access to schooling, saying it goes against internationally agreed children's rights.
Question 5: Do you support the government of Alberta introducing a law requiring individuals to provide proof of citizenship, such as a passport, birth certificate, or citizenship card, to vote in an Alberta provincial election?
What you need to know: Voting is already restricted to Canadian citizens, and both Elections Canada and Elections Alberta have reported very few cases of ineligible voting.
Smith has said it's about strengthening the integrity of provincial elections. Critics say this policy would only make lineups at the polls more time-consuming and open the door to racial or ethnic bias at the voting booth.
Question 6: Do you support the government of Alberta working with the governments of other willing provinces to amend the Canadian Constitution to have provincial governments, and not the federal government, select the justices appointed to provincial King's Bench and Appeal courts?
What you need to know: If approved by voters, this proposal would only commit Alberta's government to working with other provinces and federal lawmakers to make changes to the Constitution.
Changes generally need approval from seven provincial legislatures covering 50 per cent of Canada's population, as well as from the House of Commons and Senate in Ottawa.
Question 7: Do you support the government of Alberta working with the governments of other willing provinces to amend the Canadian Constitution to abolish the unelected federal Senate?
What you need to know: Abolishing the Senate would be even more difficult than other general constitutional amendments. It would need to be unanimously approved by all provinces and ratified by the Senate and the House of Commons.
Question 8: Do you support the government of Alberta working with the governments of other willing provinces to amend the Canadian Constitution to allow provinces to opt out of federal programs that intrude on provincial jurisdiction such as health care, education and social services, without a province losing any of the associated federal funding for use in its social programs?
What you need to know: The federal "spending power" authority allows Ottawa to attach conditions to its funding for provinces, with health-care funding under the Canada Health Act as a key example.
A permanent provincial "opt-out" clause would require the Constitution to be amended.
Question 9: Do you support the government of Alberta working with the governments of other willing provinces to amend the Canadian Constitution to better protect provincial rights from federal interference by giving a province's laws dealing with provincial or shared areas of constitutional jurisdiction priority over federal laws when the province's laws and federal laws conflict?
What you need to know: Under the Constitution, federal laws are given standing over provincial laws when jurisdictional issues arise.
This change to the Constitution would require approval from the Senate, the House of Commons and seven provinces representing at least half the country's population.
Question 10: Should Alberta remain a province of Canada, or should the government of Alberta commence the legal process required under the Canadian Constitution to hold a binding provincial referendum on whether or not Alberta should separate from Canada?
What you need to know: Advocates for separation say the province needs to get out from under federal taxation and regulation, freeing up wealth and sparking economic development. Federalists say the split would only hurt businesses and saddle landlocked Alberta with debt and the massive cost of delivering formerly federal services.
Smith has framed her other nine other questions on immigration and constitutional reform as a political compromise that could address Alberta's grievances, gain leverage with Ottawa and avoid dismantling the country.
This report by The Canadian Press was first published Oct. 16, 2026.
Copyright 2026, The Canadian Press. All rights reserved.
Keep reading
Show less
At Toronto event, Margaret Atwood reiterates need for due process in Galloway case
Atwood defends Galloway at Toronto event
As Steven Galloway concluded his testimony in his defamation trial in Vancouver, in Toronto, author Margaret Atwood reiterated her stance as a defender of due process in his case.
Atwood, who was receiving an award at a Journalists for Human Rights event, spoke about her decision to sign an open letter in November 2016 calling for an investigation into how the University of British Columbia handled the Galloway case.
Atwood faced intense backlash and scrutiny from the public after expressing support for the former UBC professor, comparing the online criticism to the French Revolution.
“Luckily, I couldn’t be fired from the university or blacklisted from festivals,” she said. “Or if I was, I didn’t notice.”
She also referred to Article 10 of the Universal Declaration of Human Rights, which calls for “the right of every human being to a fair, open and impartial trial.”
She lamented the Canadian media's reluctance to cover the case over the last eight years. Atwood has written opinion articles, most recently in the Vancouver Sun this week, in support of Galloway. She added that legacy media publications face growing pressures and dwindling revenue, which make it difficult to “defend against lawsuits.”
“This has made them more cautious,” she added.
Atwood also worried that social media has made the public more distrustful with a growing tendency to believe anything posted online.
Galloway, known for the award-winning novel “The Cellist of Sarajevo,” is in the middle of a defamation trial against several people who he alleges published unproven allegations of sexual assault.
One of the defendants includes a former student, known as A.B., who made sexual assault allegations against him that later spread on social media. Galloway was fired from UBC shortly after rumours of the accusations spread in late 2015.
He was a tenured professor and the former chair of UBC’s creative writing program.
A report produced by a former judge for the university concluded that the accusations against Galloway were unsubstantiated.
This report by The Canadian Press was first published Oct. 15, 2026.
By Sadeen Mohsen | Copyright 2026, The Canadian Press. All rights reserved.
Keep reading
Show less
Canada must diversify trade away from the U.S. for security reasons: Freeland
Canada must diversify trade for security: Freeland
THE CANADIAN PRESS/Sean Kilpatrick
Former deputy prime minister Chrystia Freeland says it's important for national security reasons that Canada do everything it can to diversify trade away from the United States.
During a discussion at the Council on Foreign Relations in New York on Thursday, Freeland said it's dangerous to deepen or maintain a close economic relationship with a partner who "openly says they want to take you over."
U.S. President Donald Trump has repeatedly mused about turning Canada into the 51st state and, while he ruled out using military force to annex the country in January 2025, has said he would consider using "economic force."
Even if the U.S. had a president who believed in free trade with Canada, Freeland says being dependent on any one partner is "not a great idea."
Freeland's new book, “Unreliable Boyfriend,” was released this week and is part international analysis about the evolving role of the United States and part political memoir.
Its title is a reference to a comment she made on an American talk show in February, when she said the U.S. is "not a very reliable boyfriend right now."
This report by The Canadian Press was first published Oct. 15, 2026.
By Catherine Morrison | Copyright 2026, The Canadian Press. All rights reserved.
Keep reading
Show less
Ces navettes t'emmènent dans des parcs au Québec et il y a même des trajets gratuits
Pas d'auto? Pas d'excuse pour ne pas découvrir les plus beaux paysages!
Si tu as envie de partir le temps d'une journée à l'aventure, mais que tu ne peux te déplacer hors de la ville, sache que l'entreprise Navette Nature offre aux citadin.es l'opportunité de se rendre dans les plus beaux parcs nationaux du Québec tout près de Montréal. Une belle façon de prendre une grande bouffée d'air frais, de sortir du tumulte de la métropole et d'admirer des horizons à couper le souffle, et ce, même si tu ne conduis pas ou ne possèdes pas de voiture.
À bord d'un sympathique autobus jaune, tu peux partir à la découverte des parcs nationaux de la Yamaska, du Mont-Tremblant, de la Mauricie, d'Oka et de trois parcs-nature de Montréal. Plusieurs endroits magnifiques que tu pourras enfin cocher sur ta bucket list.
Sur les lieux, tu décides vraiment de comment se déroulera ta journée. Tu peux donc naviguer sur l'eau en canot, kayak, paddleboard, faire de la randonnée pédestre pour atteindre de jolis points de vue ou simplement te reposer sur une plage un livre à la main. C'est l'occasion de décrocher et de se ressourcer.
Le départ se fait à partir de la gare d'autocars de Berri-UQUAM tôt le matin et le retour en fin d'après-midi afin que tu puisses bien profiter de ta journée.
Le prix d'un billet comprend le transport et l'accès au parc. Aucune activité n'est payée, tu dois donc débourser à tes frais si tu veux louer des vélos, embarcations ou autres.
Si tu souhaites visiter les parcs-nature de Montréal, tu peux maintenant le faire, et ce, gratuitement grâce à un partenariat avec la Ville de Montréal. Tu pourras explorer les berges du Cap-Saint-Jacques, te promener dans la forêt dense du Bois de Liesse ou observer la faune et la flore à La Pointe-aux-Prairies.
À noter que la Navette Nature roulera bientôt sur les routes environnantes de la Capitale-Nationale puisque des départs de Québec s'ajouteront bientôt à l'offre.
Navette Nature
Coût : entre 43,05 $ et 61,50 $ et gratuit pour les parcs-nature de Montréal
Adresse : Gare d'autocars de Berri-UQAM, Montréal, QC
Site Web