By The Canadian Press

‘Increased control over immigration?’ Nine questions on Alberta referendum in October

Feb 20, 2026 | 10:03 AM

Premier Danielle Smith announced Thursday that a referendum will be held on Oct. 19 to ask Albertans about how they want the province to deal with immigration as well as the Constitution.

She says it will include these nine 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?

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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?

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. 20, 2026.

The Canadian Press