New opposition group fights against Alberta referendum questions

A new movement has begun a battle against Alberta's upcoming referendum. Hannah Lepine reports.

A group of Calgarians have launched a campaign, opposing the province’s proposed referendum questions.

More than 150 Calgarians representing faith leaders, Indigenous representatives, labour groups, community organizations, and newcomers are behind the Vote for Canada, Vote No to Nine, Vote for the Common Good Campaign.

It comes ahead of the Oct. 19 referendum and raises concerns about referendum questions related to immigration, constitutional change and Alberta’s future within Canada.

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Jennifer Garrison, co-chair of the Calgary Alliance for the Common Good strategy team, says the five questions around immigration are “fundamentally dehumanizing.”

“Taken together, all the questions are a political act of scapegoating: blaming immigrants and the rest of Canada for the complex issues our communities and province face,” Garrison said.

The group says the campaign will focus on three core actions: connect, educate and vote.

Over the coming months, organizers plan to host community conversations, provide educational resources and encourage civic engagement across the province.

Beginning Sept. 16, the campaign will launch a Get Out the Vote effort to encourage participation in the referendum.

They hope Albertans vote to remain in Canada, and vote ‘no’ to the other nine questions on the ballot.

Alberta’s Oct. 19 referendum questions as of June 5

• 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?

Option A: Alberta should remain a province in Canada.

Option B: The Government of Alberta should commence the legal process required under the Canadian Constitution to hold a binding provincial referendum on whether or not Alberta should separate from Canada.

On 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 family’s use of the health care 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?

On the Canadian Constitution

Do you support the Government of Alberta working with the governments of other willing provinces to amend the Canadian Constitution in the following ways:

• Have provincial governments, and not the federal government, select the justices appointed to provincial King’s Bench and Appeal courts?
• Abolish the unelected federal Senate?
• 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?
• Better protect provincial rights from federal interference by giving a province’s laws dealing with provincial or shared areas of constitutional jurisdiction priority over federal laws when the province’s laws and federal laws conflict?