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The 10 Referendum Questions for October 19, 2026

 

BALLOT 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?

Alberta's population was 200,000 when it was founded as a province in 1905. Today there are over 5 million people in Alberta. Alberta's success is built by its people, including the newcomers who choose to make this province their home.  

In the past, Alberta has advocated for a greater share of immigrants to be selected for their ability to contribute to the country's economy, and these priorities have not changed. However, more sustainable immigration policies are needed to properly support our economy, communities and social services – and put Albertans first.

The federal government's unsustainable immigration levels over the past 10 years have a profound impact on the Government of Alberta's ability to fund and effectively deliver social services like health care and education – directly impacting Albertans' access to these services and costing taxpayers billions of dollars. As a result, the provincial government needs increased oversight to ensure that immigration works for both Albertans and new immigrants. 

 

BALLOT 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?  

Question #2   asks whether the Alberta government should distinguish between the temporary residents it has approved and those it has not. Those it does not approve would not be eligible to receive certain provincial benefits.

 

BALLOT 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? YES!

Question #3 asks whether all temporary residents should have to live in Alberta for 12 months to establish eligibility for the social supports offered to temporary residents. This refers to things like childcare subsidies, student aid, and other benefits and income supports, not standard health care and education. 

 

BALLOT 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 system? 

Federal policies that almost doubled, and then more than tripled, the number of newcomers in the last decade have negatively impacted our immigration system – putting pressure on Alberta's health, education and other social services, resulting in delayed access to health care for Albertans, larger classrooms for students and unaffordable cost pressures to social services overall.

The above questions seek feedback from Albertans on alternative ways to limit the free access to these services for temporary residents, to make our services more sustainable, accessible and affordable.

Question #4  asks whether temporary residents should be charged a fee (tuition/premium) to access public education or health care so long as their status remains temporary.

None of these options affect those with permanent resident status. The Canada Health Act does not require provinces to insure temporary residents. As is the case with visitors to Alberta, emergency health care would still be provided.

Note: Although Questions 2-4 offer different options, voters may vote yes to any that they support.

 

BALLOT 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?   

Should this question be adopted, clearer voting rules that require individuals to provide proof of citizenship to vote in an election will be required as part of provincial elections. Alberta is adding a citizenship indicator to driver's licenses and ID cards which will also be accepted as proof. This will help make sure that only Albertans who are Canadian citizens are represented in the outcomes of elections.

 

BALLOT 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?  

Alberta's Court of Appeal and Court of King's Bench are vital to the administration of justice in our province, but it is Ottawa who selects these judges. Question 6 proposes Canada change its Constitution to give this selection power to the provinces.

Canada is an outlier among Western nations in having the central federal government select judges to higher level provincial courts. Giving that power to the provinces would require a Constitutional change, but other provinces have already signaled their support for this proposal. Our courts are under strain and this would allow Alberta's government to fill empty seats faster with qualified candidates, ensure Albertans have a meaningful voice in appointments that shape how justice is delivered in their communities and support a more transparent and accountable process while reinforcing judicial independence.

 

BALLOT 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?  

Albertans deserve a say in who represents them in Parliament and abolishing the unelected Senate is a first step toward achieving proper representation. Alberta is unfairly represented in the Senate. Like the other western provinces, Alberta has only six seats out of 105, while the Atlantic provinces have 30 seats despite only having half of Alberta's population. Five of Alberta's Senators were appointed by the current federal government with zero consultation, entirely ignoring the Senate election process in place in Alberta.

 

BALLOT 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?  

Canada is a large country with meaningful differences between regions that have continued to evolve since 1867. It's time to give all provinces more power to control their own destiny.

Over the last decade, the federal government has demonstrated a track record of regularly overstepping its constitutional powers without consulting with the provinces, whether it be around natural resources, environment, infrastructure, health care or social services.

Importantly, when federal funding is offered to the provinces, it often comes with strings attached. By threatening to withhold a province's fair share of funding, the federal government can indirectly dictate what a province does within its areas of jurisdiction. Allowing provinces to opt out of Ottawa's programs in provincial jurisdiction with full compensation allows each province to tailor services to the needs of their population.

 

BALLOT 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?  

While Canada's Constitution gives provinces the power to pass laws for areas including natural resources, electricity, public lands, and property and civil rights, there are times when laws and regulations passed by the federal government conflict with, and override, provincial laws and regulations that have also been passed by the province – effectively overriding what elected provincial legislatures are trying to accomplish. This is especially true with respect to the environment, which is an area that can be regulated from different perspectives, one of which may relate to a provincial power and the other to a federal power. The Constitution also specifically states that federal laws have priority over provincial laws in areas of immigration and agriculture.

This question offers a path to improve this by shifting the default authority to the provinces when federal and provincial laws are in conflict. This change would ensure clarity when federal and provincial powers are in conflict and make sure that provincial autonomy is respected.

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BALLOT 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?

Voters will be asked to select only one of the following two options:

• Option 1: Alberta should remain a province of Canada.
• Option 2: The Government of Alberta should commence the legal process required under the Canadian Constitution to hold a binding provincial referendum on whether or not Alberta should separate from Canada.

The referendum question does not directly trigger Alberta separating from Canada. However, if the option to begin the process to hold a binding provincial referendum receives support from the majority of Albertans, the government would start the legal processes necessary to hold a binding referendum on separation at a later date.

Alberta's government is asking this question primarily for two reasons.

First, under Alberta's Citizen Initiative law, Albertans are able to request the government hold a referendum on a particular issue if they are able to get 177,732 (10% of previous provincial votes cast in last provincial election) of their fellow Albertans to sign a petition in support within a four month period. In this case, approximately 700,000 Albertans signed one of two citizen initiative petitions supporting questions asking whether Alberta should remain or separate from Canada. Adding this question respects the voices of these hundreds of thousands of Albertans.

Second, a recent court decision found that a binding referendum on separation could not be held in Alberta without first conducting a constitutionally mandated consultation process with First Nations on the potential effects of that question on treaty rights. The Alberta government is appealing this decision as it believes the court has made an error in law, however, until that ruling is successfully appealed or clarified it is still binding law in Alberta and a binding referendum triggering separation is not legally possible.

The Government of Alberta does not wish to wait years through an extended court process before receiving directions from Albertans on whether or not to pursue an issue as important as separation. The government wants Albertans to have the opportunity to debate the issue that hundreds of thousands of Albertans asked for on this issue, have a province-wide vote, and move forward with whatever Albertans  decide.