Alberta Premier Smith defends referendum questions on immigration changes

By Canadian Press on February 20, 2026.

Alberta Premier Danielle Smith is defending a suite of fall referendum questions aimed at immigration reform, saying “not every newcomer is a net contributor” to provincial coffers.

Smith announced in a TV address Thursday night that her United Conservative Party government is putting nine questions to a provincewide referendum on Oct. 19.

They include proposals to restrict social services from some immigrants and to open up Constitutional negotiations on abolishing the Senate and giving provinces the power to appoint superior court judges.

The Opposition NDP says the questions are a deceptive distraction, while Smith says her government can’t afford to sit on its hands as it faces a tough budget squeezed by slagging oil prices and population growth.

Smith says the pace of newcomers arriving in Alberta needs to match the supply of homes, schools and hospitals.

When asked if the proposed policies unfairly target immigrants, Smith says other jurisdictions don’t offer social services for all temporary foreign workers.

This report by The Canadian Press was first published Feb. 20, 2026.

Lisa Johnson and Jack Farrell, The Canadian Press