By the time you read this, we will know the results of Alberta citizens’ votes on their referendum to have a referendum as well as other issues included on the ten-question ballot. The questions involve topics such as immigration, which level of government should be involved in judicial appointments, who should be permitted to take advantage of social services in the province, identification credentials necessary to vote, abolishing the Senate of Canada and protecting provincial rights from federal interference. The tenth and final question deals with the matter of Alberta’s position within Canada.
Many Canadians are under the impression that this referendum will reveal what proportion of Albertans want to separate from Canada, but that is not the case. The tenth and final question on the poll has two options – whether the respondent wants Alberta to remain part of Canada or if they want the government to commence the legal process to hold a binding provincial referendum on whether or not Alberta should separate from Canada. Hence the notion of having a referendum on whether to have a referendum. Should a majority of Albertans vote in favour of having a referendum, Alberta Premier Danielle Smith has said it could take place as early as 2027. Advance poll results have indicated a significant increase in voters as compared to advance polls in previous elections, so clearly Albertans are very motivated to vote in this referendum.
Most of the questions on the ballot concern provincial jurisdiction over various issues such as immigration, the prospect of more involvement from provincial government over judicial appointments and the rights of non-citizens to freely access public services such as health care and education. Many federal governments over the years have interfered with provincial jurisdiction as outlined in the Canadian Constitution, but the Liberal governments of Justin Trudeau and Mark Carney have been especially aggressive in their attempts to intrude on provincial rights.
The question about abolishing the Senate stems from the very unfair distribution of Senate seats at present, where for example Alberta, with a population of about 5 million, is allotted 6 Senate seats whereas all of Atlantic Canada, with a population of 2.5 million, has 30 Senate seats – five times the Alberta number with half of the population. Not very fair, is it? And not surprising that Alberta – and a number of the other provinces – are greatly underrepresented in the Senate. It’s also hardly a coincidence that the parts of Canada that are most likely to vote Liberal have an excess of Senate seats according to their population. Reforming the Senate has proven virtually impossible because of the Byzantine complicated rules around doing so, as Prime Minister Harper found out with his attempts at Senate reform. As a result, current observers of the unfairness of the Senate’s composition recommend abolishing it instead of attempting another pointless reform exercise.
It has been interesting to watch the very different treatment of Alberta’s separatist movement as compared to that of Quebec. The sixty-plus years of Quebec separatist musings – which have been reinvigorated yet again by Quebec’s recent election of a Parti Quebecois provincial government – are usually treated relatively sympathetically by the rest of Canada. But when Alberta has complained very justifiably about its poor treatment within Canada, it has been labelled a traitor and a whiner. This is especially ironic when you consider that the province of Alberta contributes much more to the Canadian economy proportionately than does Quebec. Once again, this is a demonstration of how the Liberal-leaning “Laurentian Elite” look down on the regions of the country outside of central Canada, and do not value them sufficiently considering their contributions to Canada.
The results of this referendum will be very interesting. On the basis of public opinion polling to date, about two-thirds of Albertans want to remain part of Canada, so are unlikely to support having a referendum on separation. Whether a majority of Albertans will be supportive of the other questions on the referendum document, which largely endorse more autonomy from the federal government for provinces in Canada, the need for proper ID to vote in elections, fewer “free” social services for non-citizens and more provincial control over immigration (which Quebec already has), will be interesting to see. As these issues are also important in other provinces, the Alberta results are likely to lead to similar discussions in other regions, which would be a positive outcome as these are all vital policy issues for Canada at present.
Alberta Premier Smith has walked a very narrow tightrope on many of these issues, and received unwarranted criticism for wanting to put these questions to the voters. When there is about one-third of the province’s population that favour a very different relationship to the rest of the country, that is not something any politician can ignore. Within Smith’s own party, the UCP, there is a very vocal and significant faction that favour separation from Canada. Some politicians in other parts of the country have criticized Smith for permitting this referendum to take place at all, yet it they were in the same situation it’s doubtful they’d do anything different. Smith has chosen a sensible route of letting the citizens themselves decide. In a supposedly democratic country, that is always the best choice.
Catherine Swift was President of the Coalition of Concerned Manufacturers & Businesses Canada from 2022 to 2026. She was previously President of Working Canadians from 2015-2021 & President & CEO of the Canadian Federation of Independent Business (CFIB) from 1995-2014. She was Chief Economist of the CFIB from 1987-1995, Senior Economist with TD Bank from 1983-1987 & held several positions with the federal government from 1976-1983.
She has published numerous articles in journals, magazines & other media on issues such as free trade, finance, entrepreneurship & women business owners. Ms. Swift is a past President of the Empire Club of Canada, a former Director of the CD Howe Institute, the Canadian Youth Business Foundation, SOS Children’s Villages, past President of the International Small Business Congress and current Director of the Fraser Institute. She was cited in 2003 & 2012 as one of the most powerful women in Canada by the Women’s Executive Network & is a recipient of the Queen’s Silver & Gold Jubilee medals.
