Overview
- Premier Danielle Smith set an October 2026 vote with six questions, framing the push as a response to fiscal pressures and population growth.
- Policy questions test support for greater provincial control over immigration, a 12-month wait for non-permanent residents to access services, possible premiums for their use, limits on eligibility, and proof-of-citizenship voting rules.
- Constitutional questions probe backing for provincial appointment of judges, prioritizing provincial laws in shared fields, opting out of federal social programs, and abolishing the Senate.
- Any constitutional change would still require approval by the House of Commons, the Senate, and at least seven provinces representing over half the population under the Constitution Act, 1982.
- Experts cite Section 95 and a 2007 federal–provincial agreement to stress Alberta’s limited unilateral power on immigration, as the Canadian Bar Association and Alberta’s chief justices warn about risks to judicial independence and legal viability, and an academic cautions against blaming immigrants for affordability woes.