What to know
- Danielle Smith says Alberta’s government will ask voters in the October referendum whether the province should begin the legal process toward a future binding separation vote from Canada.
- Smith announced the move after an Alberta judge ruled the Stay Free Alberta separation petition unconstitutional due to a lack of consultation with First Nations communities over potential treaty-right impacts.
- The proposed referendum question would not immediately separate Alberta from Canada, but would direct the provincial government to pursue the constitutional steps needed for a formal binding referendum on separation.
- Alberta’s government also plans to appeal the court ruling to both Alberta’s Court of Appeal and potentially the Supreme Court of Canada while the referendum process moves forward.
As the province awaits a legal appeal, Alberta premier Danielle Smith says she will request the provincial government to add a question to the upcoming October referendum, asking Albertans whether or not the province should separate from Canada. Torontonians weighed in on how the potential big change would make them feel.
Smith initially released a video statement on Thursday evening, announcing she would be aiming to add the question into the ballot, so the 700,000 citizens of the province who initially signed two separate petitions by Stay Free Alberta and Forever Canada were still heard.
“Last week an Alberta judge released a decision finding that the citizen initiative petition organized by the group Stay Free Alberta on the issue of Alberta separation is unconstitutional,” Smith explained.
She added the decision was made solely because, in the judge’s opinion, there was no proper consultation done with a First Nations band, also known as an administrative governing unit in the country, about the possible effect of the petition on their treaty rights.
How Alberta’s premier is combatting this decision
Smith said despite her party supporting the province’s place in the country, she believes the judge’s ruling goes against the nature of the “duty to consult” legislation, which ensures First Nations communities are involved in conversations relating to Crown decisions that may impact their protected treaty rights and culture.
To combat this, Smith’s announced her decision to add the big question to an October 19 referendum, a direct vote where citizens are asked to vote “yes” or “no” on specific issues:
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?
The question doesn’t directly commit to the separation, but if successful, it would push the Alberta government to make the steps necessary to hold a binding referendum on the issue.
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“I as premier will not have a legal mistake by a single judge silence the voices of hundreds of thousands of Albertans,” Smith added. “That’s not the Alberta way.”
Smith admitted this process could take years, and said they plan to add the question to the referendum to combat the judge’s binding “mistake,” and wait for the appeal to be heard.
In addition to the extra question, Smith says the provincial government will be appealing the decision by the judge to Alberta’s Court of Appeal, as well as appeal to the Supreme Court of Canada if it comes to that.
Toronto reaction
Some Torontonians weighed in on the possibility of Alberta’s separation, including Sonam, a resident who used to live in the western province.
“I lived in Calgary for almost three, four years. I don’t know why they’re doing that,” he said. “They should stay within Canada.”
Sonam added that the country is the best in the world and separating would only mean losing the benefits of being part of Canada.
Khash, another Toronto resident, said the separation would be a “horrible” idea.
“I’m not on board with that. I want to keep Canada united, keep it whole,” he said. “All 10 provinces are ours.”
He added the influence of a separate nation potentially comes from Canada’s neighbours in the south.
“It’s probably American influence, American market. It’s an appealing thing. Lower taxes, they don’t want to pay income taxes,” he explained. “I get that, but I hope they don’t [seperate].”
Torontonian Alex said she doesn’t understand why the province would want to separate.
“I feel like, ‘what’s the point?’” she questioned. “They’re in the middle of Canada, [it] breaks us up right in the center.”
For more information on different issues that will appear in Alberta’s fall referendum, residents can check out albertareferendum2026.ca.
