THE GOVERNMENT OF Alberta has announced a referendum on 19 October 2026, asking voters to decide on a number of measures, including whether the province should begin the process towards a future independence referendum.

Premier Danielle Smith announced the vote on Thursday following pressure from separatist groups and months of debate over Alberta’s relationship with the federal government in Canada.

One ballot question will ask whether Alberta, in western Canada, should remain a province of Canada or whether its provincial government should begin the legal process required to hold a binding referendum on separation.

Smith says she would vote for Alberta to remain in Canada, but said Albertans should decide the issue directly.

The referendum follows a petition supporting separation which gathered more than 300,000 signatures earlier this year.

A separate petition supporting Alberta remaining in Canada gathered more than 400,000 signatures.

Support for independence in Alberta stands at around 30 per cent, a record high in recent polling and concentrated in parts of the oil-rich province where the energy sector dominates the economy.

The province’s oil wealth has become a central factor in the separatist argument, with campaigners claiming federal climate and regulatory policy has limited the development and revenue potential of Alberta’s energy industry.

The referendum will ask nine questions, including on immigration and access to public services.

Questions about constitutional reform include proposals to abolish the federal Senate, allow provinces to opt out of federal programmes without losing funding, and give provincial laws priority over federal laws in some areas of shared jurisdiction.

Another proposal asks voters if Alberta should take increased control over immigration to reduce immigration levels and prioritise economic migration.

Other questions ask whether only citizens, permanent residents and people with Alberta-approved immigration status should qualify for provincially funded services such as healthcare and education.

Voters will also be asked whether people with temporary immigration status should wait 12 months before accessing provincial social support programmes, and whether fees should be charged for their use of healthcare and education services.

The Alberta government said federal immigration policy has increased pressure on healthcare, education and other public services.

Prime Minister Mark Carney has said any attempt by Alberta to separate would have to follow the federal Clarity Act, introduced after the 1995 Quebec independence referendum.

Under the law, a clear referendum question and a clear majority would be required before any negotiations on separation could begin.

Federal Conservative leader Pierre Poilievre said he supports a united Canada.