Everything you need to know about the 10 questions in Alberta’s Oct. 19 referendum

The clock is ticking down to Alberta’s provincewide referendum on 10 questions, with polls set to open at 9 a.m. on Monday, Oct. 19.

Five of those questions are related to immigration, while four propose constitutional changes — each of these are “yes” or “no” questions.

The final question has to do with the future of Alberta independence. Voters will be asked to choose only one of two options: for the province to stay in Canada, or to hold a second binding referendum on separating from the country.

CBC News has reported extensively on the questions to help voters prepare before marking the 10 ballots.

Scroll through the referendum questions below and click on the links for in-depth analyses of each of the questions.

Question 1

“Do you support the government of Alberta taking increased control over immigration for the purposes of decreasing immigration to more sustainable levels, prioritizing economic migration and giving Albertans first priority on new employment opportunities?”

At the heart of this question is a tug of war between federal and provincial control over immigration. In our analysis, we break down the wording of the question step-by-step and explore the complex history that has led to this particular question.

Question 2

“Do you support the government of Alberta introducing a law mandating that only Canadian citizens, permanent residents and individuals with an Alberta-approved immigration status will be eligible for provincially-funded programs, such as health care, education and other social services?”

This question suggests denying certain non-permanent residents public health care, education and other social services altogether — that is, unless the province approves their immigration status. Our story explores how this question, and questions 3 and 4, are interconnected and could reshape how the province approaches temporary residents’ access to services.

Question 3

“Assuming that all Canadian citizens and permanent residents continue to qualify for social support programs as they do now, do you support the government of Alberta introducing a law requiring all individuals with a non-permanent legal immigration status to reside in Alberta for at least 12 months before qualifying for any provincially-funded social support programs?”

This question asks whether people who hold temporary permits should have to wait at least one complete year after arriving in Alberta before becoming eligible for social services, but not including public services like health care and education.

Question 4

“Assuming that all Canadian citizens and permanent residents continue to qualify for public health care and education as they do now, do you support the government of Alberta charging a reasonable fee or premium to individuals with a non-permanent immigration status living in Alberta for their and their family’s use of the health care and education systems?”

The Alberta government suggests charging non-permanent residents a fee or premium for access to public health care and education. The amount of the premium or fee would be decided after the vote, the province said. Premier Danielle Smith recently floated a $1,900 fee for temporary residents’ access to health care, similar to a premium charged by the United Kingdom.

Question 5

“Do you support the government of Alberta introducing a law requiring individuals to provide proof of citizenship, such as a passport, birth certificate or citizenship card, to vote in an Alberta provincial election?”

The province suggests if this question is adopted it will develop “clearer voting rules” that require individuals to show proof of citizenship to vote in a provincial election. Our examination explores the underlying motivation behind this question, whether voter fraud is a widespread problem and which groups may be impacted most in the case of a “yes” vote.

Question 6

“Do you support the government of Alberta working with the governments of other willing provinces to amend the Canadian Constitution to have provincial governments, and not the federal government, select the justices appointed to provincial King’s Bench and Appeal courts?”

With this question, Alberta is proposing a constitutional change that would rewrite an arrangement that dates back to Confederation in 1867. Our story explores the role Alberta has in appointing judges today and the province’s push to secure control over judicial appointments, which predates the referendum.

Question 7

“Do you support the government of Alberta working with the governments of other willing provinces to amend the Canadian Constitution to abolish the unelected federal Senate?”

Alberta governments have long expressed disillusionment with the federal Senate, and this ballot question proposes doing away with the whole thing entirely. Our story traces the history of Alberta’s grievances and explores why abolishment is highly unlikely even in the event of a “yes” vote.

Question 8

“Do you support the government of Alberta working with the governments of other willing provinces to amend the Canadian Constitution to allow provinces to opt out of federal programs that intrude on provincial jurisdiction such as health care, education and social services, without a province losing any of the associated federal funding for use in its social programs?”

Here, Alberta is pitching an attempt to limit what constitutional experts refer to as constitutional spending power — essentially, Ottawa’s ability to transfer money to provinces while attaching conditions to it. This story explores the varied constitutional perspectives tied to a push like this, and what it could mean for existing federal programs.

Question 9

“Do you support the government of Alberta working with the governments of other willing provinces to amend the Canadian Constitution to better protect provincial rights from federal interference by giving a province’s laws dealing with provincial or shared areas of constitutional jurisdiction priority over federal laws when the province’s laws and federal laws conflict?”

This question is tied to the concept of federal paramountcy in Canadian constitutional law, which essentially means that when federal and provincial laws are at odds, federal law wins out. Our story explores why Alberta wants to flip the script and what it means for the concept of Canada as a federation.

Question 10

“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?”

This isn’t a “yes” or “no” question. Voters will be asked to choose one of the following two options:

Option 1: Alberta should remain a province of Canada.

Option 2: The government of Alberta should commence the legal process required under the Canadian Constitution to hold a binding provincial referendum on whether or not Alberta should separate from Canada.

This question has often been at the centre of referendum-related discourse across Alberta. CBC News has covered the Albertan independence movement and responses to it, including federalist sentiment. Here are some of the stories we’ve recently reported:

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