Alberta Premier Danielle Smith’s government is putting nine questions to a provincewide referendum on Oct. 19, including proposals to restrict social services for some immigrants.
One question asks Albertans if non-permanent residents should be charged a “reasonable” fee to access health and education systems.
Another asks for approval to cut off newcomers from social services if they don’t fall under “Alberta approved immigration status.” The question doesn’t define what that status means.
Constitutional questions
Other questions delve into the Constitution, asking whether Alberta should open negotiations with the rest of Canada to abolish the Senate and to give provinces the power to appoint superior court judges.
Smith announced the referendum in a televised address Thursday night, saying she’s not afraid of direct democracy and that she trusts Albertans’ judgment.
“I know that as a province we will thoughtfully ponder, debate and ultimately come to a wise decision on these questions that will benefit our families and our fellow Albertans for generations, just as we’ve always done,” she said.
Smith blamed former prime minister Justin Trudeau for “disastrous” open-border immigration policies that have strained health care and education.
Tough budget coming next week
She said rapid population growth and slagging oil prices have put an unsustainable strain on the province’s finances.
The provincial budget is to be tabled next Thursday, and Smith has said significant deficits are coming.
The October referendum, a year before the province’s scheduled general election, could be even longer.
Vote on Alberta indepenence
Last year, Smith promised a referendum on separation in 2026 if citizens gathered the required number of signatures on a petition.
One citizen-led petition to be put to lawmakers this spring could lead to a referendum on making it provincial policy for Alberta to remain in Canada.
Another petition effort, with a deadline for signatures in early May, seeks to include a referendum question on pulling the province out of Confederation.
Smith said Thursday that strengthening Alberta’s “constitutional and fiscal position within a united Canada” and immigration were the biggest issues her Alberta Next panel heard as it toured the province last year.
One of the issues tabled for debate was whether Alberta should withhold social services from some immigrants.
The panel was propped up by calls from in-person attendees who, at times, called for mass deportations.
In January, Smith’s United Conservative Party government walked back what it called a “premature” decision to cut off temporary foreign workers from provincial health-care coverage, including those who had already obtained work permits.
The ministry in charge said at the time the move was on pause pending review.
Premier’s staff sound off on immigration
On Wednesday, Smith’s chief of staff, Rob Anderson, reposted a social media infographic about immigration numbers and invited readers to watch the premier’s televised address.
“This absolute insanity needs to stop. It will,” he wrote.
The executive director of the premier’s office, Bruce McAllister, also pointed to the same social media post to sound off on population growth.
“Why import from nations with failed systems when our Judeo-Christian heritage and principles have worked so well here? It almost feels like these elites are ashamed of what built this great country,” wrote McAllister.
Video: Alberta premier Smith to address the province on immigration issues
Smith was asked Wednesday if her government shared McAllister’s values. She didn’t directly answer but said Western society is based on “the Socratic Judeo-Christian tradition.”
“However, Alberta was also created since 1905 based on the immense diaspora communities that come here,” she said.
She said the federal government has changed to refocus on economic migrants, and that the previous system “broke.”
“It was the No. 1 issue that we heard,” she said, referring to the Alberta Next panel.
In Alberta, discontent about the Senate appointment process have been simmering for decades, but it has not lately been at the forefront for Smith.
When he was premier, Jason Kenney asked Albertans to vote for nominees in a non-binding ballot in 2021. None of those nominees has been appointed to the Senate by the federal government.
Smith criticizes courts
In recent months, Smith has been unreserved in her criticism of the courts.
She has called them “activist” and railed against “unelected” judges, arguing that elected officials have the final say as part of her belief in parliamentary supremacy.
Her government invoked the Charter’s notwithstanding clause four times in the fall to shield its laws from court challenges, one of many moves critics have said undermine the rule of law.
Smith says referendum will include these nine questions:
Questions on immigration
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?
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?
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?
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?
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?
Questions on the Canadian Constitution
Do you support the Government of Alberta working with the governments of other willing provinces to amend the Canadian Constitution in the following ways:
6. Have provincial governments, and not the federal government, select the justices appointed to provincial King’s Bench and Appeal courts?
7. Abolish the unelected federal Senate?
8. 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?
9. 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?
This report by The Canadian Press was first published Feb. 19, 2026.