Monday’s referendum is raising concerns among university students, immigrants and temporary residents, particularly those who may have little say in decisions involving their education and access to provincial services.
For international students at Mount Royal University, the questions have created uncertainty about whether they want to continue studying, working and building their futures in Alberta.
“I can’t see anyone wanting to stay here if they came from another country or province,” said Alex Durrani, a local student studying at Mount Royal University.
Many international students will not be able to cast a ballot because voters in Alberta’s referendum must be Canadian citizens, ordinarily reside in Alberta and be at least 18 years old.
That restriction has become a major concern for students who say living in Alberta should still give them a voice in decisions that affect their daily lives.
“I think every single person in Alberta, including people on work visas, international students and every other group, should have a say in what happens to the place they’re living in,” said Durrani.
The Alberta government is holding a referendum on Oct. 19 and five of the 10 questions are about immigration and access to provincially funded programs.
Britton Yao, who recently moved to Calgary from Kelowna and was born in Szechuan, China, said the questions are important but believes some of them are worded in a biased and scapegoating way.
“I feel like the referendum isn’t being clear enough on what changes would be made if these questions are answered in a positive light,” Yao said.
Yao said this lack of clarity is especially concerning when it comes to giving Alberta residents priority over immigrants for jobs and services. He questioned how such changes would actually be implemented.
Edward Ryan shared similar concerns about the lack of clear information, saying, “At the very least, they should make the questions clearer.”
Yao is most concerned about proposed changes to access to provincially funded health care and other social services for temporary residents.
“I am concerned that temporary residents will just straight-up not be able to access them,” Yao said. “Some of them are not very well-off.”
Yao said charging temporary residents for health care could also force some families to choose between medical treatment and other expenses.
While Yao said he could see some value in limiting access to certain social services, he believes health care should remain available.
The referendum has not changed Yao’s decision to move to Alberta, but he said he is concerned about how the proposed changes could affect immigrants and temporary residents.
Two of the referendum questions address access to provincially funded programs for people with non-permanent immigration status. Question 3 asks whether they should have to reside in Alberta for at least 12 months before qualifying for certain social support programs. Question 4 asks whether the province should charge them a reasonable fee or premium to use public health care and education.
“I think it would be a pretty big financial hit, which has a lot of drawbacks,” said Durrani.
“For those who could afford it, I think they’d have a lot of setbacks in terms of education, career and where their future lies in Alberta.”
Premier Danielle Smith has also proposed charging certain non-permanent residents a $1,900 fee to access the public health care system. She raised the idea of a yearly premium during a Sept. 22 fireside chat with Calgary Chamber of Commerce CEO Deborah Yedlin.
The proposal has raised further questions about how potential changes could affect Mount Royal University’s international students.
“It is hard to tell how it will actually impact our students,” said Mariana Mejia Salazar, the Representation Executive Council vice-president external for the Students Association of Mount Royal University.
“If all the population votes yes, the government doesn’t have to make any changes,” she said.
The Alberta Association of Immigrant Serving Agencies says the referendum results could signal a direction for immigration policy, with implications for settlement agencies and the people they serve.
“We are advocating for everybody to go vote, regardless of what their political opinions are,” said Mejia Salazar. “But we do understand that this could lead to different implications on the government, like for our international students.”
For people looking for more information about the referendum and how it could affect Mount Royal students, SAMRU’s Representation Executive Council has posted additional information and updates on its Instagram account.