What to know<\/p>\n
Danielle Smith says Alberta\u2019s government will ask voters in the October referendum whether the province should begin the legal process toward a future binding separation vote from Canada.<\/p>\n
Smith announced the move after an Alberta judge ruled the Stay Free Alberta separation petition unconstitutional due to a lack of consultation with First Nations communities over potential treaty-right impacts.<\/p>\n
The proposed referendum question would not immediately separate Alberta from Canada, but would direct the provincial government to pursue the constitutional steps needed for a formal binding referendum on separation.<\/p>\n
Alberta\u2019s government also plans to appeal the court ruling to both Alberta\u2019s Court of Appeal and potentially the Supreme Court of Canada while the referendum process moves forward.<\/p>\n
As the province awaits a legal appeal, Alberta premier Danielle Smith says she will request the provincial government to add a question to the upcoming October referendum, asking Albertans whether or not the province should separate from Canada. Torontonians weighed in on how the potential big change would make them feel.<\/p>\n
Smith initially released a video statement on Thursday evening<\/a>, announcing she would be aiming to add the question into the ballot, so the 700,000 citizens of the province who initially signed two separate petitions by Stay Free Alberta<\/a> and Forever Canada<\/a> were still heard.<\/p>\n \u25b6\ufe0f Tune into the latest ‘Alberta Update’ where we discuss issues that are making news and impacting Albertans, including:<\/p>\n \u2705 Premier Danielle Smith\u2019s recent televised provincewide address \u2014 Danielle Smith (@ABDanielleSmith) May 22, 2026<\/a><\/p>\n \u201cLast week an Alberta judge released a decision finding that the citizen initiative petition organized by the group Stay Free Alberta on the issue of Alberta separation is unconstitutional,\u201d Smith explained.<\/p>\n She added the decision was made solely because, in the judge\u2019s opinion, there was no proper consultation done with a First Nations band, also known as an administrative governing unit in the country, about the possible effect of the petition on their treaty rights.<\/p>\n How Alberta\u2019s premier is combatting this decision<\/p>\n Smith said despite her party supporting the province\u2019s place in the country, she believes the judge\u2019s ruling goes against the nature of the \u201cduty to consult\u201d<\/a> legislation, which ensures First Nations communities are involved in conversations relating to Crown decisions that may impact their protected treaty rights and culture.<\/p>\n To combat this, Smith\u2019s announced her decision to add the big question to an October 19 referendum, a direct vote where citizens are asked to vote \u201cyes\u201d or \u201cno\u201d on specific issues:<\/p>\n 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?<\/p>\n The question doesn\u2019t directly commit to the separation, but if successful, it would push the Alberta government to make the steps necessary to hold a binding referendum on the issue.<\/p>\n Read More<\/p>\n \u201cI as premier will not have a legal mistake by a single judge silence the voices of hundreds of thousands of Albertans,\u201d Smith added. \u201cThat\u2019s not the Alberta way.\u201d<\/p>\n Smith admitted this process could take years, and said they plan to add the question to the referendum to combat the judge\u2019s binding \u201cmistake,\u201d and wait for the appeal to be heard.<\/p>\n In addition to the extra question, Smith says the provincial government will be appealing the decision by the judge to Alberta\u2019s Court of Appeal, as well as appeal to the Supreme Court of Canada if it comes to that.<\/p>\n Toronto reaction<\/p>\n Some Torontonians weighed in on the possibility of Alberta\u2019s separation, including Sonam, a resident who used to live in the western province.<\/p>\n \u201cI lived in Calgary for almost three, four years. I don\u2019t know why they\u2019re doing that,\u201d he said. \u201cThey should stay within Canada.\u201d<\/p>\n Sonam added that the country is the best in the world and separating would only mean losing the benefits of being part of Canada.<\/p>\n Khash, another Toronto resident, said the separation would be a \u201chorrible\u201d idea.<\/p>\n \u201cI\u2019m not on board with that. I want to keep Canada united, keep it whole,\u201d he said. \u201cAll 10 provinces are ours.\u201d<\/p>\n He added the influence of a separate nation potentially comes from Canada\u2019s neighbours in the south.<\/p>\n \u201cIt\u2019s probably American influence, American market. It\u2019s an appealing thing. Lower taxes, they don\u2019t want to pay income taxes,\u201d he explained. \u201cI get that, but I hope they don\u2019t [seperate].\u201d<\/p>\n Torontonian Alex said she doesn\u2019t understand why the province would want to separate.<\/p>\n \u201cI feel like, \u2018what\u2019s the point?\u2019\u201d she questioned. \u201cThey\u2019re in the middle of Canada, [it] breaks us up right in the center.\u201d<\/p>\n For more information on different issues that will appear in Alberta\u2019s fall referendum, residents can check out albertareferendum2026.ca<\/a>.<\/p>\n
\u2705 Adding a referendum question to the upcoming October ballot pic.twitter.com\/PSOqACMqdM<\/a><\/p>\n