Neil Malik
What’s Alberta’s referendum on immigration all about?
What’s Alberta’s referendum on immigration all about?
Image: Government of Alberta
The Topline
- When Albertans cast their votes in a referendum on Oct. 19, they’ll be asked four questions on how the province should approach immigration
- The referendum was recommended by the Alberta Next Panel, a 10-city road show organized by the provincial government intended to gather input on ways to “enhance Alberta’s sovereignty within a united Canada.”
- The government’s referendum website claims Alberta’s population grew by an estimated 600,000 people over the last five years — roughly half the size of Calgary or Edmonton.
- The province has launched its own ad campaign encouraging voters to choose “Yes” when answering the referendum’s questions about immigration.
- Third-party group Alberta’s Voice opposes the immigration questions and argues they go too far.
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Switch sides,
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Alberta wants immigration it can actually handle
Alberta’s referendum isn’t asking whether Albertans support or oppose immigration entirely.
This is more about how much control the province gets. The first question gets right into it — even if it’s a bit wordy.
It asks: “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?”
The province isn’t scheming a way to force the federal government to hand over the keys completely. Under the Constitution, immigration is already a shared federal-provincial responsibility.
Instead, it's asking whether Albertans simply want a larger say — especially since an obvious precedent already exists.
Back in 1991, Quebec signed the Canada-Quebec Accord . That gives Quebec the sole right to select most immigrants destined for that province using its own criteria. Ottawa retains responsibility for admission to Canada and citizenship.
Of course, a majority “Yes” vote in Alberta won’t instantly create a copycat Alberta-Ottawa immigration accord. But it would give the provincial government a mandate to push for one — or at the very least get the process started.
The next question asks whether only “Canadian citizens, permanent residents and individuals with an Alberta-approved immigration status” should be eligible for public health care, education and social services.
The final two ask whether people with “a non-permanent legal immigration status” should have to live in Alberta for 12 months before accessing social supports, and whether they should pay a “reasonable fee or premium” to use the province’s health care and education systems.
Like it or not, Immigration is a hot topic in Alberta following the immigration policies of the Trudeau government, when the province says it grew by 600,000 people over the past five years.
That’s the whole root of this. Ottawa gets to decide how many temporary residents enter Canada, but it’s the provinces that take on much of the costs. Alberta estimates it spends more than $1 billion annually on social services for temporary residents.
Generally speaking, population growth isn’t a bad thing for the economy. But without guardrails, you get crowded schools, more competition for entry-level jobs, and longer waits for health care.
The referendum isn’t about whether Alberta should be able to stop immigration, period. The province makes it clear that “economic migrants” are still valued and needed in Alberta.
It’s about whether a province should be able to take more control over who gets to move there — and keep it to a pace its existing services can handle.
Blaming newcomers won’t fix Alberta’s problems
Starting from the very first question, Alberta’s referendum on immigration is full of red flags.
It asks: “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?”
There’s a lot to unpack here — especially since this is basically four questions intentionally smushed together into an all-or-nothing deal.
Let’s say you support maintaining immigration at “sustainable levels.” Because let's be honest — who wouldn’t answer "yes" to that?
But then you’re essentially being forced to vote "yes" to the rest of the question too.
Nobody knows what “sustainable levels” of immigration the government actually means. Voters are being asked if they support a policy without being given the necessary details. Red flag.
The next part of the question talks about “prioritizing economic migration.”
Call me crazy, but don’t temporary residents also contribute to the economy?
Taxes come off their paycheques. They spend money at local businesses. They pay substantially higher tuition fees to attend Alberta’s colleges and universities.
Conveniently, the government’s website doesn’t mention any of that. Another red flag.
In late August, Alberta Premier Danielle Smith posted on social media, “For every $1 of taxes a guest worker generates, taxpayers are covering $10 in services,” before calling it “unsustainable.”
After doing some math to fact-check her claim, The Tyee found it was false, writing “the contribution non-permanent residents make to Alberta goes well beyond the income taxes they generate.”
The next few questions ask whether Albertans support alternative ways of limiting “free” access to health care, education or social services for temporary residents. Doing so would make those services “more sustainable, accessible and affordable.”
That’s just scapegoating.
Back in March, The Fraser Institute called out how “the health-care system was failing long before the rise in immigration.” It goes on to suggest Alberta’s health care system has been lousy for decades prior to the Trudeau government.
Earlier this year, The Level asked whether Canada should scrap the Temporary Foreign Worker Program. We wrote about how highly divisive this topic is, with nearly half of Canadians wanting the program scrapped entirely.
But Canadians — especially Albertans — should remember one big thing: temporary residents hold up parts of the economy we can’t do without.
By voting “yes,” we'll find that out the slow and painful way, whether it's unharvested produce, shuttered restaurants, or home deliveries that don't show up.
By then, the politics will have moved on. The labour gap won't.
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