Alberta referendum: How voters answered all 10 questions

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OTTAWA — Separation isn’t on the minds of the vast majority of Albertans.

With just under 2 million votes counted as of early Tuesday afternoon, 75.5% of those who cast a ballot in the province’s long-anticipated separation referendum chose to remain in Canada, while just 24.5% supported holding a second, binding ballot on secession.

“It’s a great day for Canada,” Prime Minister Mark Carney said Tuesday morning in West Block on his way to his weekly cabinet meeting.

“I’m thrilled that Albertans have chosen unity. They’ve chosen to build together. They’ve chosen to continue to take care of each other, to move forward.”

He told reporters he had spoken with Alberta Premier Danielle Smith before arriving at Parliament and spoke of moving forward “in the spirit of cooperative federalism.”

Smith had previously promised that a simple 50%-plus-one majority would decide the ballot’s outcome. She reiterated that her government would not table another referendum on separation for the rest of its mandate.

Albertans were asked to answer 10 questions on Monday — most notably on secession, but also on nine other issues.

While official results aren’t expected until Oct. 29, with 84% of polls reporting results, here’s how the numbers are shaping up.

Q1: Should Alberta have more control over immigration?

Result: Yes, 54.7%

While immigration remains a hot-button topic across much of Canada, Alberta wants greater control over who can settle in the province and how many newcomers it is willing to accept. Previous statements from Smith have suggested her government considers 50,000 newcomers per year a sustainable number.

This would require Alberta to strike a deal with Ottawa, similar to the one Ottawa has with Quebec.

Q2: Should only citizens, permanent residents and approved-status immigrants have access to provincial support programs?

Result: Yes, 56.4%

The question gauged support for proposed provincial laws limiting access to these services to Canadian citizens, permanent residents and those with provincially approved immigration status. The province has blamed rapid population growth for a lack of basic services.

Those who could lose access include temporary residents, such as foreign workers and international students.

The question specifically mentions those with “Alberta-approved immigration status,” but the province hasn’t explained what that covers.

Q3: Should temporary residents have to reside in Alberta for 12 months before qualifying for such programs?

Result: Yes, 58.3%

The question gauged support for a new law imposing a year-long waiting period before temporary residents could access social programs.

The government said it would decide later which programs would be included.

Q4: Should temporary residents be subject to fees to access health care and education?

Result: Yes, 57.4%

This question measured popularity for charging temporary residents user fees to access health and education services.

There has been no official word on what those fees would be, but Premier Smith had previously mentioned charging health premiums of up to $1,900.

Q5: Should proof of citizenship be required to vote in provincial elections?

Result: Yes, 63.5%

This would require voters in provincial elections to provide proof of their eligibility to vote, including citizenship documents such as a passport or birth certificate.

Q6: Should the provinces, not Ottawa, choose superior court judges?

Result: Yes, 51.6%

Right now, justices who preside over Alberta’s Court of Appeal and the Court of King’s Bench — the province’s superior court — are formally appointed by the Governor General on the advice of the federal cabinet. The same process applies to superior courts across Canada, and Alberta wants to change it.

Q7: Should Canada abolish the Senate?

Result: Yes, 53.4%

Alberta’s opinion on the Senate is well known. Its long record of electing “nominees” for the red chamber indicates a longstanding desire to change the current patronage-based appointment system.

This question, however, asked whether Albertans favour doing away with the Senate entirely.

That would require every province to agree, along with approval from both the House of Commons and the Senate.

Q8: Should Alberta push for a constitutional change letting provinces opt out of federal programs while keeping the federal money?

Result: No, 51.3%

This would allow provinces to opt out of federal programs in areas already under provincial control, such as healthcare and education, while still receiving federal money.

Q9: Should provincial laws win out over federal laws when the two conflict?

Result: Yes, 50.6%

Right now, federal laws automatically win when they conflict with provincial laws in shared areas.

Changing this would require the support of seven provinces representing at least half the population, as well as approval from the House and Senate.

Q10: Remain in Canada or begin the separation process?

Result: Remain, 75.5%

With more than three-quarters of Albertans shrugging off the idea of separating from Canada, the big moment for Alberta’s separatists all but fizzled out Monday night.

Does this spell the end of Alberta’s separatist movement? Perhaps, but the movement hasn’t vanished.

Separation was the first choice of voters in the central Alberta riding of Rimbey-Rocky Mountain House-Sundre, where secession led with 50.9% of the vote, with 82 of 85 voting locations reporting.

Official results are expected by Oct. 29.

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