Alberta Premier Danielle Smith is insisting that United Conservative Party representatives respect the referendum result, even if they personally support Alberta’s separation from Canada.
Moving forward, Smith said candidates and party officials must accept the province’s referendum result and support a strong Alberta within a united Canada. Smith made the comments Wednesday, citing unofficial results from Monday’s referendum that showed about 75 per cent of voters favoured remaining in Canada.
Smith reaffirmed the commitment she made Tuesday night, saying she would not call another referendum on Alberta’s separation from Canada while she remained premier. She also said anyone seeking to represent the UCP in an official capacity would be expected to respect the outcome.
“If they want to speak on behalf of the United Conservative Party and be a caucus member within the United Conservative Caucus, those are my expectations,” Smith said.
Smith acknowledged divisions over separation within the UCP but said the party’s focus must now shift to the referendum’s implications and the next provincial election, scheduled for May 2027 under Alberta’s fixed-election-date legislation, unless an earlier election is called.
Smith described the UCP as a big-tent party and said “People can have whatever views they want,” but candidates, provincial board members and constituency association officials would be expected to accept the mandate from voters.
Smith added that those unable to accept the party’s position could pursue their political goals through other parties.
Immigration changes expected in spring
Smith said her government had begun discussions with Prime Minister Mark Carney about giving Alberta greater control over economic immigration, following what she described as a clear mandate from voters.
She said the two spoke Tuesday morning and that Carney was receptive to a more collaborative approach between the federal and provincial governments.
“I’m just pleased that he’s accepting the will of Albertans on that.”
Smith said Alberta was looking to the 1991 Canada–Quebec Accord as a model for negotiating greater provincial authority over economic immigration. Section 95 of the Constitution Act, 1867, gives Parliament and provincial legislatures concurrent authority to legislate on immigration, although federal law prevails in the event of a conflict.
Smith said Alberta had about 30,000 applications in its provincial nominee program and needed skilled workers to support major industrial and infrastructure projects. The figure requires confirmation, including whether it refers to applications awaiting processing or another category.
She pointed to demand for millwrights, electricians, plumbers and other skilled tradespeople, saying the province might not be able to meet all its labour needs with workers from Alberta and elsewhere in Canada.
“We’ve got a huge number of projects that we need to build,” Smith said. “Almost every day I’m announcing a new $10 billion project.”
The province’s project announcements should be checked individually to establish the value, status and timing of the investments Smith referenced.
Smith said her government hoped to begin outlining its proposals during the spring legislative session, after further discussions with Ottawa. She said the goal was to better match newcomers with available jobs and ensure immigrants had a pathway to permanent residency and citizenship.
She also said the federal government would be asked to negotiate a framework reflecting Alberta’s economic needs.
Smith said the government would take a more cautious approach to potential fees or changes affecting temporary residents’ access to health care, education and child care. Officials needed to determine how any changes would work, whether they would apply to people already living in Alberta and how to avoid unfairly changing the rules for those who arrived under previous arrangements, she said.
“It’s just this temporary status that we’re looking at. Is there a different way that we can approach that compared to what we see in other jurisdictions?”
She added that permanent residents who became established taxpayers would continue to receive the same benefits as other eligible residents.
Smith said she did not expect legislation on those service-related measures during the fall session but anticipated further details in the spring.
Other referendum results remain uncertain
Smith said preliminary results suggested stronger support for measures aimed at increasing Alberta’s control over immigration. Elections Alberta had yet to finalize the results of questions addressing provincial rights, judicial appointments and Senate reform.
She said the results appeared to show stronger support for immigration-related measures than for some constitutional changes.
“I think that there’s a reason to be skeptical that some constitutional amendments would be worth the effort,” Smith said.
Smith said the government would use the results to identify proposals with the strongest public support and focus on changes it believed were achievable.
She said support for the proposals varied by location, including among neighbourhoods in Calgary and Edmonton, and promised further consultation before pursuing some changes.
Smith added that the government had also committed to pursuing reforms to the federal equalization program, based on an earlier mandate from Albertans.
RELATED STORY: Smith rules out another referendum: ‘It is time to move forward together’
Premier says referendum settles separation debate
Smith said she believed the referendum had settled the political question of whether Alberta should pursue separation. A separate citizen initiative concerning separation remained a legal issue, although its current status should be confirmed against the latest court record.
She characterized Question 10 on the ballot as a choice between two competing citizen initiatives: one supporting Alberta remaining in Canada and another calling for a binding referendum on separation.
Smith said voters had chosen the option to remain in Canada, giving the government a mandate to move forward without another referendum on separation.
Smith cited unofficial results showing about 75 per cent of voters favoured remaining in Canada, while about 25 per cent supported the alternative. The latter option received roughly 500,000 votes, according to the preliminary count.
Smith said she wanted to understand why some voters supported the separation-related option, including whether frustration with federal policy influenced their decision. She acknowledged that some voters had supported separation out of anger with federal policies, while others might have seen it as a way to give Alberta more leverage in negotiations with Ottawa.
“I don’t want to prejudge why it is everyone voted for that option,” Smith said. “What I’m asking them to do now is to accept the result.”
Smith said the referendum provided a way for Albertans to express their views on contentious issues and that its results must be respected, even by those who disagreed with the outcome.
