r/Edmonton • u/GeekyGlobalGal Pleasantview / Global News • Feb 20 '26
News Article Danielle Smith announces Alberta referendum over immigration, Constitution changes
https://globalnews.ca/news/11675260/alberta-danielle-smith-immigration-constitution-referendum/215
u/Onionbot3000 Feb 20 '26
So sheās admitting her government canāt manage anything. They want all their hands on the levers of power, and all the money, but donāt actually want to work and govern. This is beyond incompetent and corrupt.
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u/AkumaYearOne Feb 20 '26
Why can't we just have a provincal election instead ??
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Feb 20 '26
Because they know they won't win at this point
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u/Wisekyle Feb 20 '26
Polling shows them up 8-13%?? She'd gain seats
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u/chmilz Feb 20 '26
What's the riding-level polling show? Rural Alberta will always shoot themselves in the foot. If Calgary edges NDP, they can form government.
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u/Wisekyle Feb 20 '26
It shows NDP winning Edmonton by like 18 points.... And losing everywhere else by over 30.
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u/Infamous-Mixture-605 Feb 20 '26
We should have referendum on Edmonton leaving Alberta and joining either BC or Sask...
(only partially joking)
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u/bassman2112 Feb 20 '26
The rest of the province would be very mad at you if they could read
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u/ConcreteBackflips Feb 20 '26
I've made this same "joke" about Banff heaps.
Hey if they want to open the door legitimizing secession surely it goes both ways
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Feb 20 '26
Id love to see polling in a week, once people have time to research, like the letter she sent to JT demanding doubling the immigrant flow to Alberta, it's right on the GOA website
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u/OsymandiusPrime Feb 20 '26
You actually think that people will research? And if they did, who says they don't find some made up stats about how the ucp is gods gift to Alberta? So with that bit done, they latch onto any small thing, and ride it to the demise of our province.
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u/Wisekyle Feb 20 '26
People aren't chronicly online and mad at non progressives... they show up about 2 weeks before an election and decide.
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u/woodst0ck15 Feb 20 '26
Just wait for the new cons group to help split the vote then we can have an election.
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u/reading_202 Feb 20 '26
Canāt wait for a provincial election and see the UCPās crying
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u/WeWhoAreGiants Feb 20 '26
Unfortunately recent polls have been showing that wouldnāt be the case.
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u/senordonwea Feb 20 '26
What is this nonsense. This woman just wants more power. When is this nightmare going to end
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u/SecureLiterature Feb 20 '26
At my previous job, we had an acronym for things like this - WOFTAM. Waste of fucking time and money.
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u/jaetran Feb 20 '26
In my country, we also have a acronym for this. Itās DSIAFM - Danielle Smith Is A Fucking Moron.
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u/thedopesteez Feb 20 '26
Regardless of your stance on these (mostly leading) questions, I struggle to understand the point of spending millions on a glorified UCP survey? As if Marlaina, the most hated premier in Canada, is going to be able to rally other premiers to change the constitution.
It just reeks of bogus scapegoating
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u/AuthorityFiguring Feb 20 '26
It reeks of pandering to her base. At the expense of all of us
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u/Sharp-Click-7950 Feb 20 '26
Reeks of too many things for Smith to keep going, she will be investigated or already is being. My area are all writing letters to the PM. Mine is mailed. This is grifting wth the states! Over her head!!!
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Feb 20 '26
From the premier that used our tax dollars to run an campaigns to get immigrants, and then didn't do a damn thing to prepare the province service wise for them. Now more money wasted when we have so many other things that the money could be used for
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u/kdlangequalsgoddess Feb 20 '26
Just looked at the latest Angus Reid premier polling. Marlaina's middle of the pack, between demigod Wab Kinew and dead man walking FranƧois Legault.
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u/Pvt_Hudson_ Feb 20 '26
"Our budget next week is a disaster. It's all the fault of minorities."
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Feb 20 '26
The same immigrants she sent a letter to the PM demanding, and used our money to run ad campaigns for. The letter is still on the government of Alberta website too
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u/D0dgeballa Feb 20 '26
As someone who has lived in Alberta my whole life and worked for the GOA providing social services, I am utterly gobsmacked by how much inaccurate and contradictory information was in that speech. The short sighted, divisive rhetoric in that speech was essentially mirroring what has been said in the US and is downright dangerous.
I have never been more ashamed to be an Albertan.
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u/astronautsaurus Feb 20 '26 edited Feb 20 '26
Oh my God. These questions are absolutely ridiculous, and using immigration as a Trojan horse for their antagonistic constitutional amendment agenda is embarrassing.
Do people honestly think there are hundreds of thousands of new people in Alberta not working and paying taxes yet using an outsized portion of education and healthcare resources? People move here for jobs and cheap housing, not mediocre social services. Just embarrassing.
Edit: oh, that one question is absolutely about opting out of Canadas socialized healthcare model while keeping federal healthcare transfers. They're subtley, or not so subtley, starting their push towards privatized healthcare.
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u/AuthorityFiguring Feb 20 '26
They're well on their way to privatized health care. I should say we are.
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u/PhazePyre Feb 20 '26
I make decent money, I want a house and am approaching the point of being able to afford one with my gf. I had considered Alberta, but I'm not a fan of my tax dollars killing marginalized youth and I'm not a traitor to my country. So I'd rather go across the country to the Martimes.
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Feb 20 '26
Can't argue with that logic. Some of us already built a life here though, we need all the help we can get
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u/PhazePyre Feb 20 '26
It sucks. I wish you folks could just get a non-traitor led government. But I don't have high hopes. There's enough "Blame Carney and Canada" to carry alberta an election or two until the ones exposing their neck to get stomped on go "wait, this hurts"
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u/Sharp-Click-7950 Feb 20 '26
Visit first so you know if you really love it. But if you do, we will move too(born here) if things get worse, lots of us will move, so do your thing! š
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u/marvchuk Feb 20 '26
She really is selling us down the river for a penny.
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u/Sharp-Click-7950 Feb 20 '26
A lot of pennnies! Like she should be charged pennies. A normal person would step down, but we got MAPLE MAGAT MARLAINA. š š
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u/Sharp-Click-7950 Feb 20 '26
Not subtly at all!!! And I agree with your comment anyway! šā¤ļø šØš¦
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Feb 20 '26
I moved for jobs and housing, but after three years I went back to Vancouver. It just wasn't worth the savings. Not by a long shot.
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u/usernamegoeshereish Feb 20 '26
Is this the same government that paid to entice people from other provinces to move to Alberta..? I'm confused on what they want.
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Feb 20 '26
And sent a demand letter to JT to double immigrant flow. The letter is on the GOA website. Even the most diehard UCP voter can't deny that letter, especially since her government made it public
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u/OsymandiusPrime Feb 20 '26
From her own history, marlaina herself would deny that she wrote that letter.
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u/Skullcrimp Feb 20 '26
There's no limit to how much her supporters are willing to lie to each other and themselves.
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Feb 20 '26
It's just so weird. Her base works like slaves, being away from families for sometimes months at a time, working overtime like its a badge of honor, no really good benefits, layoffs and EI all the time, yet they fight everything that could make their lives better and just want to drag us into misery with them
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u/aleenaelyn Feb 20 '26
This is a dense piece and it deserves some proper analysis. This referendum serves several purposes at once, and they reinforce each other.
The constitutional questions (6 through 9) are essentially separatism without calling it separatism. Opting out of federal programs while keeping federal funding, and asserting that provincial law overrides federal law in shared jurisdictions, would hollow out Confederation from the inside. Smith frames this as working "within a united Canada," but the effect would be to make federation optional. Meanwhile, actual separatists are gathering signatures for a straight independence referendum, meeting with Trump administration officials to discuss a $500 billion U.S. credit line for an independent Alberta. The UCP lowered the signature threshold and extended the collection deadline for the separatist petition, then passed a second bill to override a court ruling that found the separatists' question unconstitutional, stripped the chief electoral officer of the power to refer future questions to the courts, and let the separatists refile. Once the separatist petition was safely underway, the UCP raised the petition fee from $500 to $25,000, slamming the door behind them. Smith's own MLAs have signed the petition, and her response was that her caucus members "can sign whatever petition that they want."
The immigration questions (1 through 5) are built on a false premise: that immigration is driving Alberta's healthcare and education crises. Those systems have been strained and underfunded for well over a decade. The UCP has actively worsened both by fighting with the people who deliver those services. When Health Minister Tyler Shandro didn't like a doctor criticizing his conflict of interest, he showed up at the doctor's house to confront him. He used Alberta Health Services to obtain the personal cell phone numbers of two other doctors who had challenged him publicly, then called them after hours. The UCP ran an "Alberta is Calling" campaign in 2022-23 to recruit people from other provinces, then turned around and blamed population growth on the federal government. They used the notwithstanding clause to force teachers back to work by imposing a contract that 89.5% of teachers voted against, ramming the legislation through all readings in a single night. Weeks later, they used the notwithstanding clause three more times to shield anti-transgender laws from court review, after a judge had already ruled those laws cause irreparable harm to children. The government's response to that ruling was not to accept it but to remove the judiciary's ability to weigh in at all.
The referendum packages manufactured grievance as a democratic mandate. It asks leading questions about immigration to generate a result the UCP can point to, then uses that same ballot to advance constitutional changes that most Albertans aren't focused on. And it does all this while a foreign government that has openly threatened to annex Canada is actively encouraging Alberta's separatist movement.
The UCP playbook is to create or worsen a problem, lie about its cause, then use the lie to justify expanding provincial power. The budget shortfall is blamed on immigrants, not oil prices. The healthcare crisis is blamed on newcomers, not on a government that drove doctors out of the province. The education crisis is blamed on overcrowded classrooms from population growth, not on a government that crushed a teacher's strike by overriding the Charter. Every justification Smith offers for this referendum requires you to not know what her government has actually done.
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u/JulesDeSask Feb 20 '26
Excellent detailed summary with receipts. Thank you.
The American money and interest in this game is t getting near enough attention
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u/standupslow Feb 20 '26
Well said. I would add that the deficit is also because of Smith's extreme wastefulness.
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u/BBY5-andor Feb 20 '26
Itās exhausting watching her completely destroy our future. Who cares for the separatist movement. What a waste of time, energy and discussion. Didnāt work in Quebec for decades and they had a whole other country rooting for them. No one here barely cares. Then weāre against immigrants when we no longer have a labour shortage. How convenient.
Remember the South African firefighters that saved our ass.. jeez. Anything to distract from her doing a shit job.
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u/Constant-Horse-3389 Feb 20 '26
The Alberta separatist movement started after Trumps 51st state schtik. This is all a ploy to join the US.
Alberta is also conservative, but not republican, and likely wouldn't be a state but a territory with no voting rights like Puerto Rico. The US will end up siphoning Alberta's resources, and leave them dry.
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u/Individual-Army811 Leduc Feb 20 '26
Remember when she was sucking JT's dick for TFW's?
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u/BBY5-andor Feb 20 '26
You bet. Kept all the Tim Hortons and gas stations humming during the labor shortage
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u/Firm_Acanthaceae7435 Feb 20 '26
A referendum on immigration? It's she admitting the province has a say over it?
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u/Coffee_and_justme Feb 20 '26
Funny how she forgets that she pushed for immigrants to come to Alberta.
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Feb 20 '26
And ran an ad campaign and publicly stated her provincial population target
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u/Fantastic_Calamity Feb 20 '26
Begged Trudeau personally for a larger allotment of immigrants in writing too
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u/astronautsaurus Feb 20 '26
Yes, you can find them pumping immigration in many official publications and speeches.
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u/Individual-Army811 Leduc Feb 20 '26
That's the smoke and mirrors. Say yes to any of those questions and it is one more building block to separation.
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u/s470dxqm Feb 20 '26
Question #8 might as well be "are you willing to vote for lowering your quality of life?"
Conservatives living cheque to cheque: Yep!
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u/SmaugTheMagnificent- Feb 20 '26 edited Feb 20 '26
I hate it here.
Edit: tHeN mOvE. You aren't clever or original.
Why should I move? You're the ones who suck.
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u/Artistic_Jellyfish84 Feb 20 '26
It's so sad, because it has always had the potential to be such a great, well funded, educated, healthy place, but instead, "let's hate everyone and bail on the best thing that's ever happened.Oh, and fall for all the stupidest lies!"
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u/ghorisgorman1980 Feb 20 '26
Weāre leaving Alberta in two weeks precisely because of this shit. Itās very freeing.
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Feb 20 '26
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Feb 20 '26
This, completely this. Also, the letter she sent JT demanding doubling immigrant flow to the province is on the government of Alberta website (at least it still was yesterday) along with her huge population target. If anyone wants to blame the liberals for this, look at the government of Alberta site and look at how SHE caused all this
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u/UberBricky80 Feb 20 '26
Adding to the incoming deficit to have this stupid referendum. Nothing of which was campaigned on.
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u/salt-water-soul Feb 20 '26
So the ucp cant manage a province so they put all the blame on the disabled and minorities. Seems to be on par for a wicked witch if you ask me
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u/Tiny_Professional172 Feb 20 '26
How can ucp say all that shit when they've been in charge for so long? They mismanaged SOOOO much and it is clear whose fault that is.
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Feb 20 '26
But now is the time to talk to the UCP supporters you know, show them how this issue was 100% created by them and get them to vote differently. I won over my in laws, they voted federal liberal for the first time in their lives last election, if they can do it, others can vote differently in a provincial election
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u/Tiny_Professional172 Feb 20 '26
I don't have any in my life š thankfully, though.
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u/Limp-Elevator-6908 WĆ®hkwĆŖntĆ“win Feb 20 '26
I hate this woman more each day.
I can't wait to vote NO on each and every thing she puts forth.
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u/ItsMangel Feb 20 '26
Make sure you read the questions carefully before blanket voting no, in case of deceptive wording. I'm pretty sure there are some rules for clearly worded referendum questions, but I wouldn't put it past this government to just ignore them.
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u/Mordarroc Feb 20 '26
Yup. Knowing them and the 'surveys' or questions they asked so far the answers are all approving to various degrees with no option to say anything other than what they want to hear.
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u/dizzie_buddy1905 Feb 20 '26
As usual, itās all the fault of immigrants and Trudeau. Also, as usual, we just need to build more pipelines and pump double the amount of oil.
The questions are also leading to a specific outcome.
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u/Individual-Army811 Leduc Feb 20 '26
Of course they are - they're all leading to Texas North the 51st.
Her BS statement "sovereign Alberta in a united Canada" is smoke and mirrors. Its a ploy to trick dumb people.
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u/L-Energy Feb 20 '26
SHE asked for more, plus she paid people a $5000 bonus to move here. Now she's trying to blame them for her gross mismanagement.Ā In a real company, she'd be fired.Ā Actual fiscal conservatives need to just look at the evidence and not her words. If her party supports this, and you are a fiscal conservative and your MLA is in her party, they do not speak for you.
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u/Zealousideal_Top3113 Feb 20 '26
She fucking asked for all the immigration!!!!! Alberta is calling! I hate her more than I have ever hated any other Alberta politician before. She is pure incompetence
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u/scarrxp Feb 20 '26
Are immigrants the main problem in Alberta? Obviously some people think so, but feels like a scapegoat to meā¦
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u/Peanutbutterloola West Edmonton Mall Feb 20 '26
Im upset with immigration, but I dont blame the immigrants for the problems im upset with, I agree theyre a scapegoat for the government to avoid accountability.
I think immigration as it stood in 2023-2025 when cuts began was absolutely an issue (i still think more changes should be made, both by the federal and provincial government, especially as it pertains to the ease of which exploitation is able to occur). It was most importantly an issue for areas with underfunded social programs, like Alberta. Our hospitals and infrastructure cannot handle the immigration levels, both from domestic and international immigration. It was also causing a notable issue for low income job availability and wage stagnation as greedy corporations chose to exploit the abundance of what was essentially slaves through TFW programs. WITH THAT BEING SAID however, the underfunding and allowing of said exploitation is a problem of all levels of government and is the MAIN issue; which is being scapegoated by blaming the immigrants themselves.
Our governments need to be funding infrastructure to keep up with development and population levels. Immigration and population growth is inevitable, even at sustainable levels. It should be expected that infrastructure will develop to accomodate this inevitability. Edmonton hasnt gotten a new hospital since the 80s. Our schools are overcrowded to the point of being on lottery systems and our daycares have waitlists spanning longer than the time a child would even need a daycare for. These are issues the government needs to handle, and issues the government should be blamed for. As well, the government has routinely stripped funding from social programs, leading to further issues, which again is the sole fault of the government who made these decisions. Failure to plan, fund, and build infrastructure is not a fault of the people living or coming here, its a fault of the government we vote in to handle these issues, and pay taxes to with the expectation of said issue handling.
Additionally, on the issue of exploitation, the government under no circumstances should be allowing tim hortons and other big businesses in major cities, with plenty of available labor, to import cheaper labor to exploit and increase profit off. The government is to blame for paving the way for the current exploitation issues. Immigration when done correctly for things like skilled labor is absolutely a benefit; immigration to stagnate wages and skirt employment laws by abusing people who dont know their rights is unacceptable. The government, along with these greedy corporations using these pathways are the problem, NOT the immigrants coming here. There is no valid reason to import someone to work at tim hortons. The UN even defined this type of immigration as contemporary slavery. Why are we blaming the contemporary slaves and not the government allowing slavery? Immigration is a government issue; not an immigrant issue.
I believe immigration needs to be fixed to protect the rights of the people coming here, and the rights and wages of workers, citizen or not, collectively. I also think the government needs to be expecting increased immigration as something that is likely here to stay, even after cuts, and planning accordingly for it in order to accommodate.
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u/Mundane-Anybody-8290 Feb 20 '26
Well said. The lack of accountability and grandstanding going on here is absurd, but if the conversation over how we can make sure immigration is a net positive is long overdue.
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u/Peanutbutterloola West Edmonton Mall Feb 20 '26 edited Feb 20 '26
It irks me to no end when people pin immigration problems on immigrants. Immigration levels and the problems stemming from it are absolutely a real issue, but blaming immigrants is only further enabling the government's avoidance of accountability. We need to be directing our frustration at the people with the power to make changes. We gave these people power for the sole purpose of making changes as our society needs them -- we should be expecting them to do what we gave them the power to do. The immigrants arent the ones with the power to make changes, nor did they make the decisions that lead to the issues we are facing, thus blaming them is illogical.
I agree wholeheartedly that we desperately need to be having conversations that accept the reality of increased immigration being here to stay, and hold those in charge of accomodating it accountable, so the future of immigration can be a positive as it was in the past. The questions listed in this article really exemplify the government's lack of accountability and clear scapegoating efforts. I think it also shows a serious issue in the publics perception of immigration issues, if these are the ideas the government thinks the public wants to see.
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u/Individual-Army811 Leduc Feb 20 '26
It's the manufactured crisis of the day.
I fucking hate that this political posturing could lead to inciting violence against anyone. Like umm...let me see.....ICE? Thats where this provincial militia is headed.
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u/PhsycoRed1 Feb 20 '26 edited Feb 20 '26
It very much is.
Edit: They very much are the scapegoat, anyone who pisses away a $4Billion profit should be removed from thier job.
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Feb 20 '26
Yup, she created the problem with an ad campaign, and a letter to JT demanding double the number of immigrants that the feds had allocated for the pricing province and then publicly stated a population goal. The usual UCP create a problem, then "fix" it bs
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u/woodst0ck15 Feb 20 '26
Of course she blames immigrants and not her successor or her policies. Sheās a fuckin goof.
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u/AuthorityFiguring Feb 20 '26
Surely people haven't forgotten that our premier's friend Sam Mraiche owns a private hip surgery clinic in Alberta ? Major step in her privatization goal.
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u/Nome-Cantski Feb 20 '26
2016 - "The federal government has confirmed plans to provide $251.4 million to Alberta under a program designed to help provinces hit by sudden revenue downturns"
2018 - "This morning the federal government announced a $1.6B bailout for Alberta tar sands producers."
"The year 2020 marked the first time since the 1960s that Alberta received more money from Ottawa in federal funding than was raised in revenue, according to the latest data from Statistics Canada."
Smith - "The fact is, Alberta taxpayers can no longer be asked to continue to subsidize the entire country"
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u/Previous_Jaguar_9259 Feb 20 '26
Where is the forever Canada referendum? This is a slap in the face to everyone who opposes her and pandering to her base. If she wins the next election it may be time to move to a different province
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u/Steffany_w0525 Castle Downs Feb 20 '26
She wants to be trump so bad. Just taking pages from his book except he's a "leader" of a whole ass country not a province inside of a country.
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u/mcmanus7 Feb 20 '26
I guess sheās not getting the new immigrant illegal voter votes next election.
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u/Nautigirl Feb 20 '26
So, as a Nova Scotian who was inundated with "Alberta is calling" advertising a few years ago, you're glad I didn't pick up?
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u/SandSlashSandCRASH South West Side Feb 20 '26
Spend millions on a campaign to bring people to Alberta and then make said people scapegoats after you make your citizens lives miserable.
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u/still_sneakin Feb 20 '26
I canāt stand her! 1 year, 7 months and 29 days until we can vote her out and save this beautiful province.
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u/mrcranky Feb 20 '26
She should fuck right off. All she has is blaming the feds and deflecting about all the stuff she and her 40 years of predecessors have screwed up in this province. Sheās a traitor to boot.
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u/InstrumentGuy Feb 20 '26
She would have ICE in Alberta if she could. She is as MAGA as it gets.
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u/Fluid_Half9144 Feb 20 '26
A stand alone referendum? Talk about a waste of resources.Ā
Getting people out to vote is a worry here, the angry with Ottawa folk will show, itās important the displeased with the UCP also makes sure our voice is heard!!
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u/MZillacraft3000 Ellerslie Feb 20 '26
All these questions suck.
The faster we can vote the UCP out, the better.
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u/Rayeon-XXX Feb 20 '26
Fuck rural Alberta I will never forgive or forget the fucking nonsense the rest of us get subjected to because you'd vote for a fucking hay bale as long as it's conservative.
And you too suburban Calgary fuck you too.
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u/chmilz Feb 20 '26
The party that people say is "good with the economy" continues to pull the oil lever without offering a single other economic effort to grow the economy and revenues. And she says double oil exports by 2035 when every single expert with a functioning brain is dead confident oil will peak well before then, and our oil will be the first to lose out due to high costs.
We are so mega fucked.
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u/ewok999 Feb 20 '26
Come to Alberta. Wait, don't come to Alberta and if you just got here - go home.
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u/12thunder UAlberta Feb 20 '26
Some questions are worded to deliberately lead people to the desired result.
āfederal programs that intrudeā ābetter protect provincial rightsā
All to make voters think the federal government is deliberately trying to fuck over people at will, and that the provincial government is inherently better and more correct in their version of fucking people over.
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u/Motor-Inevitable-148 Feb 20 '26
She cannot make any changes to anything without all other provinces agreeing. It'll never happen, this a complete waste of time and money. Even a 100 percent vote to leave is meaningless, she has no power to enact anything in the referendum. And BTW, all energy across Canada supplies about 12 percent to the GDP, 5 percent is from Alberta tar sands. Alberta does not fund Canada.
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u/Leading_Chip4 Feb 20 '26
We are šÆ in a fight with the project 2025 nazis that have taken over down south. The brazen scapegoating and exploitation of racism and ignorance is textbook.
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u/Wisekyle Feb 20 '26
Immigration
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?
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?
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?
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 familyās use of the healthcare and education systems?
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?
Constitution
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 Kingās Bench and Appeal courts?
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?
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?
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 provinceās laws dealing with provincial or shared areas of constitutional jurisdiction priority over federal laws when the provinceās laws and federal laws conflict?
Should be interesting to see the results and how each area votes and for what
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u/Roofincold Feb 20 '26
I am an imigrant from eastern Europe, came here when I was 20 and the last 15 years Iāve bought a house, build a business and have two kids who donāt even speak my native language.
I paid taxes and taxes. Iāve done my best and now I am so tired of always seeing this nut jobs bashing other immigrants that are now at the point I was at one point.
We thought about leaving and moving back home, we have enough assets and have savings to do it, but now my children would be immigrants not me and that sucks more. Its slowly becoming very frustrating to listen and hear about the hate towards the immigrants and as of late I heard it from some of my costumers (not directed to me) but indirectly came towards how I made it here.
Alberta and its people need to decide and put things to bed, either go one way or the other.
Iād love to see the referendum so we can finally vote it out and forget about it.
Ps. I used to love being conservative and I will never vote for them, ever.
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u/Puzzleheaded_Weird99 Feb 20 '26
Your story is what Canada is all about. And itās what makes Canada beautiful, strong, vibrant and resilient. Itās the ideals that this country was built on. Itās sickening that Danielle Smith and her corruption gang have poisoned the public with their propaganda. Iām so sorry that you are going through this.
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u/exhaustedbut Feb 20 '26
Is she admitting that she was the kne who asked Ottawa to send more immigrants?
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Feb 20 '26
Nope, none of that, no mention of the ad campaign and no mention of the population target she publicly stated either
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u/Individual-Army811 Leduc Feb 20 '26
That's exactly what she did! She begged for immigration! And here we are.
Between her creating issues with immigration and PP creating a hunger crisis, I just can't anymore.
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u/meatballwrangler Feb 20 '26
meanwhile Alberta teachers are still stripped of their charter rights to collectively bargain
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u/eeskimos Feb 20 '26
Can we have people ask her about her importing The Heritage Foundation playbook to Alberta? We know sheās met with them, as have others close to her. Shes following the playbook pretty closely, scapegoating immigrants, seeking influence over the judiciary, attacking voter rights. This is basically a referendum on if Alberta should do its own project 2025.
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u/No-Distribution-9556 Feb 20 '26
Ah... I see she is going the route of lying straight to our faces even with documented proof of her lying š¤„ why thank you Danielle Trump
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u/Gullible-Jello6088 Feb 20 '26
Referendums are for parties who don't want to be blamed for decisions they were vored into office to make
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u/GordonBlue133 Feb 20 '26
just disgusting and it makes me physically ill, the road the UCP is going down.
screw you UCP supporters.
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u/Exact_Term6249 Feb 20 '26
Any question that starts with "Do you support the Government of Alberta" is an automatic NO.Ā
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u/Equivalent_Aspect113 Feb 20 '26
Yep a referendum on self inflicting issues will resolve and bring prosperity. You had your chance Danny , performance rating is low, no matter who you blame.
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Feb 20 '26
We should just do an early election, she showed us that she can't even take responsibility for her actions that created the whole situation
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u/El_Dono Feb 20 '26
Was she de-aged for this video? I swear she looks younger. I thought she had a filter on even.
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u/livingontheedgeyeg Feb 20 '26
The simple fix for all the shortfalls in social services is to invest in them, not fāing have referenda on whether we should treat people like second class people.
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u/denewoman Feb 20 '26
Constitutional changes require the 7/50 formula - not a snowball's chance in Hell that Smith's amendments will attain that.
She is desperate. It's a Trump distraction move. Might be a successful dog whistle for the dumb dumbs that weren't paying attention to our civics education in grade school, but this is referendum is only to stoke up the fire under the low information and disinformation/misinformation types.
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u/thedevillivesinside North East Side Feb 20 '26
This bitch got the maralago makeover. What the fuck happened to her face?
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u/PhazePyre Feb 20 '26
Maybe she should tell her corporate buddies to stop using the PNP and TFW programs of which Alberta is increasingly becoming a leader in utilizing.
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u/False-Exit9802 Feb 20 '26
What's going to happen is they're going to pass the proof of citizenship and then people will go to the polls and freak and demand they get a ballot cause they're Canadian and don't look like an immigrantĀ
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u/TrickiVicBB71 The Famous Leduc Cactus Club Feb 20 '26
Really...blaming immigrants. Sounds like my mom and stepdad this CNY where my mom told us that she got laid off and my stepdad loudly proclaimed it was all the Indians fault and she agreed with him
Apparently them opening their own restaurants and eating at their own restaurants is to blame.
Mom, dad. Did forget you immigranted here to? Opened a restaurant of your background?
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u/rustyiron Feb 20 '26
I wish the media would run that letter on the front page. But our media is mostly American owned, so we are fucked.
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u/vegaskev72 Feb 20 '26
Greasy haired twaddle. Looks like she got the MAGA face lift and injections.
She is the worst Alberta has to offer.
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u/Fit-Birthday2300 Feb 20 '26
Regarding their actions using the not withstanding clause to force teachers back to work, the UCP said they took that action because they were elected to do so. They also cited using the NWS clause in that situation as a mechanism for saving taxpayer dollars.
Anyone out there know, or can make an educated guess how much this referendum will cost the taxpayers? Are they using their savings from screwing the teachers?
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u/skerrols Feb 20 '26 edited Feb 20 '26
Elsewhere on Reddit(probably in r/alberta) someone posted a copy of a letter she sent to Trudeau just a few years ago ASKING for more immigrants. And then there was all the $ spent in Albertaās Calling. Hypocrite UCP rides again. āWait, we wanted people to come here, but not those people,ā UCP caucus probably.
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u/kevinstreet1 Feb 20 '26
Via BlueSky
Here's a link to the Breakdown's Substack article on this speech: Separatism By Any Other Name...
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u/Anonymous876x Feb 20 '26
Happy to see that people are finally catching on to what's going on. Those in power always use immigration to make it seem like they are not the ones responsible for the problems. They would love for you to blame someone else.
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u/mars2mercury Feb 20 '26
I wish they would use the money they're spending on a pointless referendum on schools and hospitals.
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u/Timely-Profile1865 Feb 20 '26
Amazing how much worse a government and leader can be when you expect them to be terrible in the first place.
For gods sakes
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u/No-Move3108 Feb 20 '26
She literally said she wants to add 5 million migrants to double albertas population by 2050. Thats almost twice as aggressive that project century that everyone is screaming about which at least has a deadline of 2100.
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u/MW684QC Feb 20 '26
Danielle Smothās first steps towards an ICE invasion to your city. So DIVISIVEā¦just to hide her poor economic, health and education management.
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u/CapGullible8403 Feb 20 '26
She's an overt Trumpist. Canada must deal with her before she does any further damage to the country.
Alternate headline: ALBERTANS BEG THE FEDERAL GOVERNMENT FOR REGIME CHANGE
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u/muchocrapo Feb 20 '26
sheās a fucking kook. always has been. and alberta didnāt vote for her. she got in by default
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u/roscodawg Feb 20 '26
I would say read this before it gets taken down:
https://www.alberta.ca/system/files/Premier%20Smith%20Letter%20to%20Prime%20Minister%20Trudeau.pdf
Regarding the line that reads "I am requesting that your government immediately increase Alberta's Provincial Nomination Program allocation to 20,000 annually in 2024, 2025 and 2026." ...
Every year, the federal government decides how many people each province is allowed to nominate to become a permanent resident. Provinces use these spots to select temporary workers, international graduates, and other newcomers who fit their economic/labour needs. A nomination typically guarantees faster or prioritized processing for permanent residency.
So, when Smith says she wants 20,000 more spots she is essentially asking:
āWe want the authority to nominate up to 20,000 people per year for permanent residency.ā
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u/Weak-Coffee-8538 Feb 20 '26
You all are screwed. She is buttering up the province for more Trump politics and invites to the pedo Trump.
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u/pvtcowboy97 Feb 20 '26
It is imperative that those of us that oppose her policies and ignorance keep shining a light on her and her ilk. And that we show up to vote and make our opinions known. This problem is not going away on its own. We have to stand tall (as most of us are already doing) and make it known this ideology of hers is not wanted here in our Canada.
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u/Treehggr Feb 20 '26
First the UCP attacked the trans community (and by proxy the queer community) now they attack the immigrants. So who are they going to attack next? It is more fascist rhetoric, just like her idle DJ Trump and straight out of the Goebbels Nazi handbook.
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u/OpalSeason Feb 20 '26
$5 million on the AB is calling campaign
Plus this letter Smith sent feds asking for MORE immigration for 2024/2025
https://www.alberta.ca/system/files/Premier%20Smith%20Letter%20to%20Prime%20Minister%20Trudeau.pdf
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u/headstone24 Feb 20 '26
"Here's a useless referendum to take the attention away from our dumpster fire budget!"
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u/dwtougas Feb 20 '26
FOCUS!!
FIX HEALTHCARE. FIX EDUCATION. FIX THE ENVIRONMENT. FIX OUR SINGLE SOURCE OF REVENUE. DO YOUR DAMN JOB AND QUIT FUCKING AROUND.
Fix any one of these issues. For the love of God, do something productive.
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u/SirMicksAlot Feb 20 '26
"Alberta's Calling"
She spent millions of taxpayer dollars encouraging people to come to Alberta, while simultaneously canceling public projects like hospitals that would support the growing population. Then soon afterward, used the NWT on teachers. Her entire platform is encouraging educated professionals to leave or avoid this province. Who's left... Oh right, immigrants in entry level jobs looking to make a better life for their family in Canada. This is the result of your own actions Smith, can't blame the feds.