Albertans are heading to the polls on Monday, Oct. 19, to weigh in on a long list of referendum questions. If you haven’t made it to the advance polls yet, we’re breaking down what each question means.
The big one, of course, is whether Alberta should remain a province of Canada or whether the provincial government should begin the legal process required to hold a binding referendum on separation under the Canadian Constitution.
But what about the other nine questions? They cover everything from immigration and voting requirements to the future of the Senate and the balance of power between provincial and federal governments. Depending on how Albertans vote, the questions could have pretty big implications for how the province is governed.
So, what are they? And what do they mean? Each of the nine questions is a “yes” or “no” question.
Should Alberta take greater control over immigration?
The official question:
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?
What it means:
This question asks whether Alberta should have more control over immigration, with emphasis on reducing immigration to what the province considers “sustainable levels,” prioritizing immigrants who come to the province to work, and giving Albertans priority for employment opportunities.
Who should be eligible for provincially-funded programs?
The official question:
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?
What it means:
This asks whether Alberta should limit eligibility for provincially funded programs, including healthcare, education, and social services, to Canadian citizens, permanent residents, and people with an immigration status approved by the province. This means that some people living in Alberta on temporary immigration statuses, or those not approved by the province, could lose access to certain provincially funded programs.
Should these programs have residency requirements?
The official question:
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?
What it means:
This asks whether people living in Alberta with a non-permanent legal immigration status should have to live in the province for at least 12 months before becoming eligible for provincially funded social programs. Canadian citizens and permanent residents would continue to qualify, but those with non-permanent status, such as temporary foreign workers, would have to wait.
Should non-permanent residents pay for health care and education?
The question:
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 healthcare and education systems?
What it means:
This question asks whether people living in the province with a non-permanent legal immigration status should have to pay a fee or premium for their use of the province’s health care and education systems, including services used by their family members. Similar to the last question, Canadian citizens and permanent residents would continue to access these services under the existing rules.
Should Alberta require proof of citizenship to vote?
The question:
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?
What it means:
This asks whether Alberta should require people to provide proof of Canadian citizenship, such as a passport, birth certificate, or citizenship card, before they can vote in a provincial election. Currently, voters must provide either government-issued photo ID or a combination of other forms of identification, but this proposal would introduce a specific requirement to provide proof of citizenship.
Should Alberta have more say in appointing judges?
The official question:
6. Do you support the Government of Alberta working with the governments of other willing provinces to amend the Canadian Constitution to have provincial governments, and not the federal government, select the justices appointed to provincial King’s Bench and Appeal courts?
What it means:
This asks whether Alberta should work with other provinces to change the Canadian Constitution so that provincial governments, rather than the federal government, would be responsible for selecting judges appointed to provincial King’s Bench, which handles major civil, criminal, and family law matters, and courts of appeal. Currently, these appointments are made by the federal government; proposed changes would give provinces greater control over who is appointed to these courts.
Should the federal Senate be abolished?
The official question:
7. Do you support the Government of Alberta working with the governments of other willing provinces to amend the Canadian Constitution to abolish the unelected federal Senate?
What it means:
This question is asking whether Alberta should work with other provinces to amend the Constitution to abolish the Senate of Canada, an unelected federal body that reviews and votes on legislation. Currently, senators are appointed by the Governor General on advice of the Prime Minister.
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Should provinces be able to opt out of federal programs without losing funding?
The question:
8. Do you support the Government of Alberta working with the governments of other willing provinces to amend the Canadian Constitution to 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?
What it means:
This question asks whether Alberta and other provinces should be able to opt out of certain federal programs that fall within provincial jurisdiction, such as health care, education, and social services like $10-a-day childcare, without losing the federal funding associated with those programs. If Albertans were to vote “yes,” provinces could choose not to participate in certain federal programs while still receiving the associated funding to use for their own programs under the proposed changes.
Should provincial laws take priority over federal laws?
The official question:
9. Do you support the Government of Alberta working with the governments of other willing provinces to amend the Canadian Constitution to 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?
What it means:
This question asks whether Alberta should work with other provinces to amend the Canadian Constitution so that provincial laws take priority over federal laws when the two don’t mesh when it comes to provincial or shared jurisdiction. If Albertans vote “yes,” the proposed change would give provinces more power to make and enforce their own laws in these areas, even when those laws conflict with federal legislation.
For more information on the referendum questions, including where to go and what you need to vote, can be found on the Elections Alberta website.