‘It’s time to have a vote’: Alberta Premier Smith to request separation referendum question

Indexed: 2026-05-22

[00:00:00]My fellow Albertans, tonight I wish to speak with you about the debate we are having in this province on the future of Alberta and Canada. Last 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 because in the judge's view there was not adequate consultation done with the First Nations band about the potential effect of the petition on their treaty rights.

[00:00:26]This ruling fundamentally misinterprets the nature of the duty to consult, which was never meant to prevent citizens from making their voices heard through a democratic process.

[00:00:36]Now, I want to be clear.

[00:00:37]I support Alberta remaining in Canada.

[00:00:40]That is how I would vote on separation in a provincial referendum. It is also the position of my government and my caucus.

[00:00:47]However, despite my personal support for remaining in Canada, I am deeply troubled by an erroneous court decision that interferes with the democratic rights of hundreds of thousands of Albertans. Albertans who volunteered, prepared petitions, made their case to fellow citizens, and appear to have secured the required amount of signatures necessary under Alberta law to hold a provincial referendum. The fact is that between the Forever Canada petition requesting a referendum on Alberta remaining in Canada and the Stay Free Alberta petition requesting a referendum on leaving Canada, approximately 700,000 Albertans have signed a petition requesting a vote on this issue. And I, as Premier, will not have a legal mistake by a single judge silence the voices of hundreds of thousands of Albertans. That's not the Alberta way.

[00:01:38]Alberta's future will be decided by Albertans, not the courts. Our government will therefore be appealing the decision to Alberta's Court of Appeal and, if necessary, the Supreme Court of Canada.

[00:01:50]But this process will take many months and possibly years before being addressed by those higher courts. In the meantime, under our legal system, this troubling court decision is binding law in Alberta until it is successfully appealed. This means that it is unlikely the courts will permit Elections Alberta to hold a binding provincial referendum on separation until this incorrect ruling is overturned or clarified. But there is another way to hear from Albertans while we wait for our legal appeal to be heard. That is why I'm announcing today that I will be requesting our government add an additional question to the October 19th referendum vote announced previously.

[00:02:29]The additional question will be, 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?

[00:02:46]Because this proposed referendum question does not directly trigger separation, but if successful, would ask Alberta's government to commence the legal process necessary to hold a binding referendum on the matter, the recent court ruling would not be applicable, and the referendum question I outlined could proceed. This question will also ensure the 700,000 signatories to both the Forever Canada petition and the Stay Free Alberta petition are respected and the will of Albertans is heard. Kicking the can down the road only prolongs a very emotional and important debate, and muzzling the voices of hundreds of thousands of Albertans wanting to be heard is unjustifiable in a free and democratic society. It's time to have a vote, understand the will of Albertans on this subject, and move on.

[00:03:32]Now, obviously, Alberta's first-ever provincial vote on our province's future in Canada is of monumental importance.

[00:03:39]As such, I feel it is important to clearly state my personal position so Albertans know where I stand.

[00:03:45]I first want to assure Albertans that our government will respect the outcome and direction received on all of the referendum questions being voted on this October 19th. Our government has already launched the website alberta-referendum-2026.ca with a significant amount of background information on the immigration and constitutional questions previously announced, and I hope every Albertan will take the time to explore that website in detail.

[00:04:10]As to the specific issue of separation, I have repeatedly stated that the position of the UCP caucus and UCP government is to build a strong and sovereign Alberta within a united Canada. I have never deviated from that position, and I will not do so now. I will therefore be voting for Alberta to remain in Canada while continuing to work each and every day to restore and strengthen provincial rights under the Canadian constitution.

[00:04:35]The fact is, Canada was founded on this very principle. Canada is very different from the United States and many other Western democracies. For example, the United States centralizes the majority of power and decision-making in its federal government. In Canada, we chose a decentralized federation composed of very unique and diverse provinces left to govern themselves in almost all matters, with the main exceptions of national defense and international affairs.

[00:05:03]Over time, our federal government has sought to move towards a more centralized American-style system, with Ottawa attempting to take over many provincial areas of jurisdiction using all manner of legislative, judicial, and financial leverage. I categorically reject Ottawa's attempts to do so and call on all provincial leaders and MPs to undo the extensive damage that centralization of power in Ottawa has done to our country economically and with respect to national unity.

[00:05:32]I am fiercely loyal to both Alberta and Canada, but I truly believe our country is so much stronger and more prosperous when we respect the rights of provinces and empower them to govern themselves with minimal federal interference.

[00:05:46]Albertans, not Ottawa. Quebecers, not Ottawa. And all the other provinces must each be empowered to control our own direction and destiny, whether it's energy policy, agricultural practices, policing, firearms ownership, or how to administer our social programs. The days of Ottawa dictating and interfering in provincial affairs must come to an end.

[00:06:09]The future economic success and unity of our country depends on it.

[00:06:13]When I was first elected premier, I was very concerned that it would be almost impossible to restore provincial rights stolen from Alberta and other provinces by the Trudeau-Singh government in Ottawa. However, our government went to work anyway to see if we could. We have been relentless in making our voices heard, launching dozens of legal actions, appearing in hundreds of national interviews, bridge-building with other premiers, and aggressively passing legislation, such as the Alberta Sovereignty within a United Canada Act, to take back our provincial autonomy from the federal government. We ran extensive advertising campaigns against the destructive net-zero electricity regulations, as well as the catastrophic oil and gas production cap, in order to persuade our fellow Canadians that Trudeau's anti-Alberta agenda was also anti-Canadian and was destroying the unity, energy, and economic future of our nation. A great majority of Albertans joined us in that fight, calling friends, relatives, and participating in social media to spread that message throughout the country. We made a lot of noise as a province. We fought hard and refused to accept the status quo. And the result? Well, my friends, we have started to win. Over the course of the last 2 years, the tide of national public opinion on resource development, provincial rights, energy policy, and a host of other issues began to turn. Our Alberta oil sands went from a national target to a national treasure. Pipelines went from impossible to a national imperative. Justin Trudeau's anti-Alberta, anti-energy policies became a national embarrassment, one of several that ultimately cost him his prime ministership. The leave-it-in-the-ground NDP, led by Jagmeet Singh, was electorally annihilated. And the federal liberals, led by their new leader, Prime Minister Mark Carney, adopted most of Alberta's positions on energy and resource development. In fact, the current prime minister has worked very constructively with our government to craft an Alberta-Ottawa energy agreement, or MOU, as it is often called. This has already attracted tens of billions of dollars in investment for new pipelines, natural gas-run data centers, electricity generation, and so much more.

[00:08:21]Under that energy agreement with Ottawa, the destructive federal electricity regulations are gone.

[00:08:26]The economically disastrous oil and gas production cap has been scrapped.

[00:08:31]New pipelines carrying nearly a million barrels of Alberta oil to the United States are proceeding with speed toward construction. And a new million-barrel-a-day pipeline to the BC West Coast is well in progress and on track to have its permitting completed by September of next year. Could and should these reforms and projects move faster? Yes, of course they should. The federal government can and needs to act with even more urgency than it has. Do we in Alberta still have our differences with the federal liberal government?

[00:09:00]Obviously. And make no mistake, we will relentlessly challenge them to respect our provincial rights and jurisdiction every time they step over the line.

[00:09:10]But my fellow Albertans, there can be no doubt that things are a world of difference better for our province than they were under the Trudeau-NDP government. Both major federal parties, the federal conservatives and now the federal liberals, representing 85% of voters in Canada, are advocating for Alberta to increase our energy production and exports.

[00:09:30]Only some extremists in the NDP, Bloc Québécois, and Green parties, representing less than 15% of voters in Canada hold fast to their anti-Alberta leave it in the ground rhetoric.

[00:09:41]This complete turning of Canadian government policy and national public opinion was unthinkable just a few short years ago. No one thought it was possible except here in Alberta.

[00:09:52]We turned the tide. We are winning hearts and minds to our cause right across the country as many of our fellow Canadians are coming to understand that a strong Alberta and strong provinces means a stronger and more prosperous Canada.

[00:10:06]Now to those hundreds of thousands of Albertans who are still not convinced or are unsatisfied with the pace of change and believe that separation is the answer. I want you to know that I empathize with you and I understand why you feel that way. You are justifiably frustrated and angry with Ottawa. You are proud and loyal Albertans that have watched our province be taken advantage of repeatedly over past decades and you want it to stop. So do I, more than anything. Like you, I love this province and our people so much. I am so proud to be Albertan, but I ask you to please consider joining me to vote for Alberta to remain in Canada and not give up on our beautiful country just as we're gaining respect and the tide has turned in our favor.

[00:10:50]Now when our fellow Canadians, even those that may support different political parties, are nonetheless supporting Alberta's vision for a prosperous energy-rich nation with strong provinces building a Canada we can be proud of again.

[00:11:04]In my view, now is not the time to give up hope in our country. Not when we have fought so hard for so long and come so far.

[00:11:12]I believe Canada can still work. I believe it's working better every day and it can work even better in the future if we keep fighting together for it.

[00:11:20]Together with our fellow Canadians, we have built a Canada that is loved and respected all over the world. Our men and women have died together fighting for our freedoms and the safety of hundreds of millions around the globe.

[00:11:31]Canadians were there in Europe fighting and making the ultimate sacrifice in the Second World War long before we were joined in that effort by our American allies. Together with our allies, we were also instrumental in beating back the forces of communism and terrorism.

[00:11:47]The world would be a much darker place if not for Canada.

[00:11:50]We have built marvels of technology together. We are known the world over as a country of innovators, explorers, and entrepreneurs. But also a peacemakers, philanthropists, and contributors to the good of the world.

[00:12:04]Our federal politicians may stray from our foundational values from time to time, but our fellow Canadians, they are our family, our friends, our blood. We all know our family needs to do some work to get rid of a few bad habits developed over the past decade. But that's what we are in the process of fixing. Now is the time to double down and fight even harder for the prosperity and change we want to see in our country.

[00:12:27]Because Albertans are at our best when we are hard at work getting things done for each other and our families, solving problems, serving our communities, creating and innovating, building a stronger Alberta and a stronger Canada.

[00:12:40]And now is our chance to do so. Finally, with a Chinook wind at our backs instead of a winter blizzard in our face.

[00:12:47]Finally, I wish to speak with those of you who already agree with me that Alberta should remain in Canada.

[00:12:53]Let us guard against the trap of using division and demonization tactics against our fellow Albertans with whom we disagree on this matter.

[00:13:01]The vast majority of those advocating for separation love our province profoundly. Many are also proud Canadians but have simply lost hope that their families can flourish within Canada.

[00:13:12]So instead of attacking these loyal Albertans, let's work together to restore hope in their country again.

[00:13:18]Let's work together to hold Ottawa accountable for implementing the Alberta-Ottawa energy deal and get that pipeline built to the West Coast. Let's work together to get Ottawa to stand down on their unfair persecution of law-abiding gun owners. Let's work together to build an immigration system that helps support our economy while putting Alberta workers and taxpayers first. Let's demonstrate why Alberta can be stronger and more prosperous as a member of a renewed and unified Canada.

[00:13:45]One that is moving past the last 10 years to empower provinces to develop and export our resources and to govern our own provincial affairs free from federal interference.

[00:13:55]Let's use the power of hope and persuasion and reject the language of division and demonization. We are, after all, each other's neighbors, friends, and family. We must never let the voices of hatred and vilification divide us as a people.

[00:14:09]Because at the end of this debate and when the referendum is over, we must come together to ensure that our beloved province continues to prosper.

[00:14:17]And that is my hope that our beloved Alberta and Canada will remain forever strong and free.

[00:14:24]Thank you and good night.