Alberta Premier Danielle Smith announces referendum to stay in Canada
Author of the article:Cindy Tran
Published May 21, 2026 • Last updated 13 hours ago • 4 minute read
Alberta Premier Danielle Smith is putting a new question about separation in an October referendum, but it won’t explicitly address the issue.
In a televised address on Thursday, Smith told Albertans that while she supports Alberta remaining in Canada, she is “deeply troubled” by the recent court decision to quash an Alberta independence citizen petition. The government will now be adding a new question — not the same one from the Forever Canadian petition — on the Oct. 19 referendum.
“The additional question will be ‘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?'” Smith said in her address.
The address happened after controversy erupted at a committee meeting Wednesday dealing with former deputy premier Thomas Lukaszuk’s Forever Canadian petition.
That was resolved earlier on Thursday when a special committee of MLAs tasked with overseeing the Forever Canadian petition voted in favour of a motion to put the question to a referendum. The Alberta NDP voted against the motion, but was defeated by the UCP majority.
Smith’s question does not directly trigger separation, but if the majority of Albertans are in favour of Alberta separating, the government will begin the legal process to hold a binding referendum on the matter, according to Smith. Because it doesn’t directly trigger separation, the recent court ruling does not apply, Smith added.
Smith said her government will respect the outcome of all referendum questions being voted on Oct. 19. There are already nine other questions on the referendum related to immigration and the Constitution.
“The fact is that between the Forever Canadian petition requesting a referendum on Alberta remaining in Canada, and the Stay Free Alberta petition requesting a referendum on leaving Canada, approximately 700,000 Albertans have signed petitions requesting a vote on this issue,” Smith said.
Later in her address, Smith accused the federal government of moving towards a more “centralized American-style system” with Ottawa overreaching in provincial areas of jurisdiction. She said with her government’s advocacy by launching dozens of legal challenges, collaborating with other premiers and participating in national interviews “we’ve started to win.”
“Our Alberta oilsands went from a national target to a national treasure. Pipelines went from impossible to a national imperative,” Smith said.
“Justin Trudeau’s anti-Alberta, anti-energy policies became a national embarrassment — one of several — that ultimately cost him his prime ministership.”
Despite this criticism, Smith suggested that relations between Ottawa and Alberta have drastically improved — “things are a world of difference better” — since the end of Trudeau’s tenure.
Smith indicated that she herself would be voting for Alberta to remain in Canada, and while she understands the grievances that are felt by some in the separatist movement, she said she is “fiercely loyal to both Alberta and Canada.”
Smith called on people leaning toward separatism not to give up on the work that her government has done to get movement in key areas of friction with Ottawa.
“In my view, now is not the time to give up hope in our country. Not when we have fought so hard for so long — and come so far,” Smith said.
“I believe Canada can still work. I believe it’s working better every day, and it can work even better in the future if we keep fighting together for it.”
Committee controversy
The decision by the committee of MLAs was anticipated to come on Wednesday but was delayed after the UCP caucus sent out a press release announcing the question would be on the fall referendum before the committee of MLAs had voted on the motion.
“Traitors! Shame on you,” a member of the gallery shouted after the motion passed.
The motion asks that the question put to voters include an option for Albertans to vote for Alberta to remain in Canada.
Opposition MLA Court Ellingson put forward an amendment to the motion asking the government to consult with any Indigenous communities that might be impacted by the question. He pointed to Court of King’s Bench Justice Shaina Leonard’s ruling on the Stay Alberta petition that said the provincial government failed to meet its constitutional duty to consult with First Nations.
“The government can’t bypass the duty to consult,” Ellingson said.
Government house leader Joseph Schow said while he appreciated the amendment, he accused the Alberta NDP of stalling the committee from voting on the motion. He called the Opposition’s comments “vain repetition.”
“For them to continue to stall this committee’s work I think is an affront to the will of those hundreds of thousands who signed that petition,” Schow said.
The amendment was defeated. Indigenous Relations Minister Rajan Sawhney did not speak to the amendment and voted against it.
Alberta NDP deputy leader Rakhi Pancholi says the motion clearly shows the UCP government will not be sticking with the Forever Canadian wording.
“That question will be owned by her, it will be authored by her, it will belong to her,” Pancholi said.
Lukaszuk told reporters after the committee meeting that he knew it would end in a referendum. He said the petition was filed as a policy provision to give Smith an “off-ramp” to avoid one.
“Do I personally feel used? No, this is politics,” Lukaszuk said.
“We have a premier who only has one goal in mind and that’s remaining a premier.”
ctran@postmedia.com
Alberta Premier Danielle Smith is putting a separation question on the fall referendum that could lead to a binding referendum
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