Pre-referendum, Alberta Premier says 'Let's remain in Canada while securing greater autonomy'
· Toronto Sun
Albertans are just days away from voting on its major referendum this Monday, with advance voting underway now through Saturday.
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And there’s more than just a question about Alberta independence on the ballot, with residents facing 10 questions in total.
Five deal primarily with immigration, four address constitutional reform, and then there’s the big one: Should Alberta begin the process that could lead to a binding referendum on leaving Canada and becoming an independent country?
Alberta Premier Danielle Smith has been campaigning for some of the questions, but not for the independence option.
“I’ve been very clear: I voted for Option 1, to remain in Canada, and I’ve been asking Albertans to vote “yes” to the remaining nine questions so we have a strong mandate to pursue greater autonomy,” she told the Toronto Sun ’s Brian Lilley.
“The tenth question came about through a citizen-initiative process. Under Alberta law, if enough people sign a petition, the government is obliged to put the question on a ballot. About 400,000 people signed one petition seeking a vote to remain in Canada, while roughly 300,000 signed another seeking a path toward a binding referendum. That’s how Question 10 got on the ballot. It’s now up to Albertans to tell us which direction they want the government to take. I’ve voted for Option 1, to remain in Canada, and I hope others will too.”
Smith not a separatist but sentiment for separation increased during Trudeau reign
Still, Smith admits, while herself not a separatist, that sentiment rose in Alberta during the past Prime Minister’s term.
“There were legitimate grievances during the Trudeau years,” said Smith. “No question about that. Separatist sentiment rose higher than I’ve ever seen, reaching as much as 45% in some polling. When Prime Minister Carney was elected, one of the first things I told him was that these concerns had to be addressed.
“While we haven’t achieved everything we want, we’ve made meaningful progress. We’ve seen significant federal policy reversals and a willingness to engage. That tells me the federation can work. Let’s remain in Canada while securing greater autonomy for Alberta.”
Otherwise, there are nine other questions on the ballot which Smith says they came out of the Alberta Next panel discussions a couple of years ago.
In terms of the immigration questions, question one is perhaps the biggest, asking: “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?”
Smith said Alberta is basically asking for what Quebec has had since 1991 in terms of significant authority over immigration.
“Very much so,” she said. “I watched with interest as immigration became one of the central issues in Quebec’s provincial debate. I also noted that one of Prime Minister Mark Carney’s first actions was recognizing that several immigration programs had become unsustainable and needed to be scaled back.
“What we’re trying to prevent is a repeat of the uncontrolled growth in immigration that occurred in the years following COVID. The way to do that is to return to the model that served Canada well for decades: selecting newcomers based on whether they have a job and whether that job fills a genuine economic need.”
Immigration seemed out of control three years ago in Canada
The immigration system reached unprecedented levels in 2023, as Canada admitted roughly 2.2 million people across all streams when permanent residents, asylum seekers, temporary foreign workers and international students are included.
Historically, the total was closer to 750,000.
But the referendum questions about residency requirements and requiring some non-citizens to pay for access to services like health care seem connected to any pressures that arose and Smith admitted Alberta was feeling the strain.
“Absolutely,” she said. “We currently have about 246,000 temporary workers, up from roughly 80,000 several years ago. The analysis showed they generated approximately $150 million in provincial revenue while the province spent about $1 billion on health care and education for them and their families. That’s not how the temporary worker program was intended to function.”
Smith said temporary workers are supposed to come temporarily to fill a labour shortage, but instead, low-skill workers were increasingly admitted and many brought family members, creating costs the system wasn’t designed to absorb.
“The original model worked well for industries such as agriculture and tourism, where seasonal workers come for a specific purpose and then return home,” she said.
“For other jobs, we should first ensure opportunities go to young Albertans and Canadians. Only after that should employers turn to foreign labour for genuine shortages. There’s also nothing unusual about asking temporary residents to provide their own health coverage. Countries such as the United Kingdom, Australia and South Korea already do that. Given the imbalance we’re seeing, Alberta taxpayers shouldn’t be expected to shoulder those additional costs indefinitely.”
Meanwhile, Prime Minister Mark Carney has publicly opposed not only Alberta separation but also the nine other referendum questions.
Smith said she was surprised that he weighed in against the broader package but she can be “a pretty persuasive person.”
“There have been times when the Prime Minister and I disagreed and I was able to convince him to reconsider,” she said. “I don’t think it’s sustainable to allow Quebec significantly more authority over immigration while denying similar discussions with other provinces. If Albertans provide a strong mandate, I intend to have a serious conversation with the Prime Minister about that. As for the constitutional questions, some amendments would require unanimous provincial consent and others would require support from seven provinces. We’ve already had constructive conversations about provincial jurisdiction, federal spending and judicial appointments.”