- Prime Minister Mark Carney urges Albertans to stay in Canada and reject 9 other proposals, while Premier Danielle Smith says she voted to stay but urges 'yes' on the 9
- Polls show most Albertans want to stay in Canada, and early turnout is high
Albertans are voting early this week ahead of Monday's provincial referendum, where they will answer 10 yes-or-no questions on immigration, public services, constitutional reform and the province's future in Canada.
Michelle Gurney, the media spokesperson for Elections Alberta, told CTV News that more than 174,000 people voted on the first day of advance polling, and on day 2 of voting more than 186,000 people voted.
By comparison, the average daily turnout during advance voting in the 2023 Alberta provincial election was around 151,000 people, she said.
What is on the ballot?
The first question asks whether Alberta should take more control over immigration to lower numbers, prioritize economic migrants, and put Albertans first for new jobs. Immigration is shared between Ottawa and the provinces, thus Alberta cannot change it alone.
Three questions focus on access to public services.
The first asks whether programs such as health care and education should be limited to citizens, permanent residents and people with an “Alberta-approved” status.
The second asks whether temporary residents should have to wait 12 months before receiving social support.
The third asks whether they should pay fees for health care and schooling.
The government has not defined what qualifies as “Alberta-approved” status. Critics say the proposed measures could conflict with the charter.
The fifth asks whether voters should show proof of citizenship. Only citizens can already vote, and officials report very few cases of ineligible voting.
Questions six to nine ask whether Alberta should work with other willing provinces to amend the Constitution so provinces, not Ottawa, choose judges for provincial superior courts; abolish the Senate; let provinces opt out of federal programs while keeping the funding; and give provincial laws priority over federal ones in provincial or shared areas.
Most changes need approval from seven provinces representing half the population, plus Parliament, while abolishing the Senate needs all provinces. No other premier has endorsed the Senate, judicial, or opt-out proposals.
The tenth question asks voters to choose between remaining in Canada and starting the legal process toward a binding separation referendum. It does not ask directly whether Alberta should leave.
Why the tension?
The vote follows decades of Western grievances and a sense of alienation from Ottawa.
Alberta's Premier Danielle Smith has previously blamed past federal governments for dragging down the fossil fuel industry the province relies on.
Fiscal and constitutional powers are also at stake. Ottawa’s "spending power" lets it attach conditions to funding for provinces, with health-care money under the Canada Health Act a key example, and the opt-out question targets that.
Smith announced nine questions in February. She added the tenth in May, after rival citizen petitions and a court ruling against the separatist one.
Where the leaders stand
Smith says she wants Alberta to stay in Canada and told Albertans she voted that way at an advance poll.
She presents her nine other questions as a way to win more autonomy, pointing to an energy agreement with Ottawa and work toward a new West Coast pipeline.
She has said there will be no second separation referendum while she is premier if voters choose to remain.
Carney went further Thursday in Calgary. He urged voters to stay in Confederation and also reject the nine other questions.
"Hard to think of a worse time for a referendum," he said. He is due at a "Forever Canadian" rally in Edmonton on Friday. Conservative Leader Pierre Poilievre, who represents an Alberta riding, has said his caucus will campaign for the province to remain.
Opposition NDP Leader Naheed Nenshi also urges voters to reject the nine proposals and stay.
Meanwhile, Alberta's separatist leader Jeffrey Rath said they are "never giving up."
Polls and legal limits
An Ipsos poll conducted from Sept. 18-22 found 70% of Albertans want to remain in Canada, 20% want a binding referendum, and 14% would vote to leave.
Alberta cannot leave on its own. A judge this year quashed a separatist petition, ruling that separation would violate First Nations treaty rights. The government and the petition’s organizer are appealing.
Carney said in May that Ottawa was reviewing the separation question under the Clarity Act, the federal secession law passed after the 1995 Quebec referendum.
First Nations chiefs from Treaties 6, 7 and 8 unanimously passed a non-confidence vote in the Alberta government earlier this year, citing the separatist movement and unmet treaty promises.
Polls open at 9 am on Monday.
