Danielle Smith confirms that the referendum on Alberta’s future in Canada is still scheduled for October 19.
Amid the breakdown of trade negotiations with the United States, Alberta Premier Danielle Smith confirmed on Saturday, August 22, that the vote on whether the province should begin the legal process of secession from Canada remains unchanged for October 19.
What exactly are people voting on October 19th?
Although it’s being called a “separation referendum,” the question on the ballot isn’t a direct vote to secede from Canada. The official text, drafted by the Alberta government, asks each voter to choose between two options: that “Alberta remain a province of Canada,” or that “the Alberta government initiate the legal process required by the Canadian Constitution to call a binding provincial referendum on whether Alberta should secede from Canada.” In other words, it’s a vote on whether to take the first legal step toward a future binding referendum, not an immediate secession. The result on October 19th is not binding, although Smith has already stated that he will respect it and considers a majority to be 50% plus one vote.
Where did this question come from?
The vote stemmed from two citizen-led petition campaigns that, between them, gathered nearly 700,000 signatures requesting that the question be included on the ballot. “We have a citizen-initiated process. 700,000 citizens signed one of the two petitions asking to have this question now, and that’s what the vote on October 19 will be about,” Smith said, when a listener asked him on the radio to postpone the debate while the trade crisis with the United States continues.
Why doesn’t Smith postpone it despite the crisis with the United States?
Smith rejected the idea of pausing the process. She said she will personally campaign for Albertans to vote to remain in Canada, citing as arguments in favor the recent agreements she reached with Ottawa, including some reversals on federal policies and progress on pipeline development. “I will do everything I can” to convince voters that it is in Alberta’s best interest to remain part of Canada, the premier said.
How does this matter to Hispanics in Canada, even if they don’t live in Alberta?
The country’s political stability is one of the factors anyone considers before settling, investing, or making long-term plans in Canada, and this is the second major separatist movement the country has faced amid the same trade crisis: while Alberta is pushing forward with this issue, support for Quebec independence has fallen to its lowest level in decades due to the same conflict with Washington. This contrast, between one province distancing itself from and another drawing closer to Ottawa, will significantly shape the Canadian political climate in the coming months.
There are just under two months left until October 19th, and for now the only certainty is that the question will be on the ballot as it is written today.
Written by Mauricio Navas Talero LJI Reporter