Some referendum questions flip to 'no' as the count continues in Alberta

The key question was on separation and roughly 75 per cent of votes backed staying in Canada, but it has taken longer to count votes on the nine other questions.

Early results showed Albertans were in favour of proposals such as choosing their own judges, abolishing the Senate and changing the Constitution to boost provincial rights.

But the “no” side pulled ahead Thursday as the counting continued.   

The “yes” side continued to lead on questions dealing with immigration, but the margins were tight. 

Alberta Premier Danielle Smith had already claimed victory on the immigration questions, saying it appeared she was going to be given clear direction from voters to move ahead, although she hinted it could take some time for her government to act.

She acknowledged the immigration questions were set to pass with small margins, with urban ridings in Calgary and Edmonton largely voting “no.”

“I think that’s something we have to be mindful of,” Smith said at a news conference Wednesday, adding that the government would proceed with caution.

She said she spoke with Prime Minister Mark Carney and that he was accepting of the idea that Albertans want to see more collaboration between the two levels of government on immigration. She said she was putting together a proposal to submit to Ottawa.

Smith, speaking to reporters before the count was finished, conceded that the constitutional matters seem to be less important to Albertans, adding there’s valid skepticism as constitutional amendments can be lengthy exercises.

“Albertans would just rather that we spend our time focusing on things where we can make some meaningful change,” Smith said.

“And I think that’s a message we’ll take away. We have to focus on the things that Albertans want us focusing on.”

Here are 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?

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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?

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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?

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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?

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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?

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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?

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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?

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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?

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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?

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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?

Elections Alberta says it will publish final results on Oct. 29 and that the results reported so far will be subject to robust verification.

This report by The Canadian Press was first published Oct. 22, 2026.