‘Slap in the face’: Albertans react to Smith’s referendum question

Added: 2026-05-23

[00:00:02]My fellow Albertans, Albertans will vote on the province's future within Canada in October. That question is a whopper as announced by the premier in a paid-for TV address Thursday night.

[00:00:16]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? The premier argues that vote on October 19th of this year will not offend the courts or the Constitution because it does not directly trigger separation. Danielle Smith says this is the best she can do as her government fights a recent court ruling shutting down the verification of a separatist petition because of treaty rights.

[00:00:54]Alberta's future will be decided by Albertans, not the courts.

[00:00:58]Our government will therefore be appealing the decision to Alberta's Court of Appeal and if necessary, the Supreme Court of Canada.

[00:01:05]But this process will take many months and possibly years before being addressed by those higher courts. First Nations were quick to condemn the premier. They vowed to fight separation with every tool available to protect their treaty rights. This separatist leader also unimpressed saying Smith's UCP leadership is now in jeopardy.

[00:01:27]700,000 people in Alberta voted for a binary question, yes or no. So it's not just our people she slapped in the face.

[00:01:33]She also slapped the 400,000 people, you know, that you know, that voted for the you know, the Lukaszuk question in the face. We could have lived with a you know, Lukaszuk question. Like I said, the bumper stickers write themselves. No to Carney, no to Ottawa, no to income tax. The man who led the gathering of more than 400,000 signatures on a petition to stay says MLA's should have voted on this instead, but And we will fight vigorously for the next 6 months to make sure that Albertans don't give the premier a permission to hold a referendum on holding a referendum. And we will make sure that Albertans come out to the ballot boxes in large numbers. The NDP also vowing to ramp up their campaign called for Alberta for Canada. Now we stand up for Canada. This spring and summer we're going to be knocking on doors. We're going to be talking to our [music] neighbors. We're going to be mobilizing. We're going to make sure that Danielle Smith and the separatists get the defeat they so richly deserve. In her address, Smith threw daggers at former Prime Minister Justin Trudeau, former NDP leader Jagmeet Singh, even the Bloc Québécois and Green parties for stifling Alberta oil and stoking separation. But she says the new Prime Minister is different and the MOU for a new pipeline is proof of that. Still, she says the vote must happen now. 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.

[00:03:09]So how will the premier vote? Well, she promised to cast a ballot to stay and says she will work to convince other Albertans to do the same. Smith ended with a call for respect between those who want to protect Canada and those who want out of this country.

[00:03:27]Shawna Matto, City News, Edmonton.