Prime Minister Mark Carney on Tuesday signalled he will take concerns over high levels of immigration into consideration, a day after over 75% of those who participated in the referendum in the western province of Alberta voted to remain part of Canada.
“We are moving to a more sustainable pace of immigration. Where we go from here needs to be established in cooperation with the provinces, and that is very much the spirit of one of the questions in the referendum,” he said in Ottawa on Tuesday morning. He said Albertans made a clear choice. “They chose unity, to build together, and to take care of each other.”
Carney spoke to Alberta Premier Danielle Smith on Tuesday, who vowed another such vote for separation will not be held as long as she remains its leader.
In a post on X, Carney said, “Over the past 18 months, our governments have worked together to deliver on what matters most to Albertans. Now, we have an opportunity to build on that progress.”
The Alberta referendum was held on Monday. The main question asked whether Alberta would remain a province of Canada or if the provincial government would commence the process under the Constitution to hold a binding referendum on separation. Over 75% chose the first option with over 90% of votes counted by Tuesday night.
{{/usCountry}}The Alberta referendum was held on Monday. The main question asked whether Alberta would remain a province of Canada or if the provincial government would commence the process under the Constitution to hold a binding referendum on separation. Over 75% chose the first option with over 90% of votes counted by Tuesday night.
{{/usCountry}}Five of the questions related to immigration, inserted by the provincial government, which had announced the referendum eight months earlier.
Voters agreed that Alberta should take increased control over immigration to decrease it to more sustainable levels, prioritising economic migration and giving Albertans priority on new employment opportunities. A question related to supporting the provincial government introducing a law mandating that only Canadian citizens, permanent residents, and individuals with an Alberta-approved immigration status be eligible for provincially funded programmes, such as health care, education, and other social services.
Another said that “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.”
Similar questions directed against temporary immigrants in a climate within the country of growing xenophobia also appeared to have been backed by voters, including only allowing people able to show valid proof of citizenship to vote in the provincial election.
The results came as the Liberal Party government is looking at potentially increasing immigration levels as part of a plan to be announced next month. Immigration numbers, particularly for temporary residents including international students and workers, decreased due to public backlash over the surge in newcomers into the country.
Smith welcomed the unity vote and indicated that Carney’s objective of working collegially with provinces had played a role in favour of the positive outcome. “...for as long as I am premier, I will honour this mandate from Albertans and will not be holding another referendum on this issue,” she said, in a televised address on Tuesday evening.
“I am also convinced that the Federal Government is no longer targeting and trying to phase out and eliminate Alberta’s largest economic sectors as they attempted to do under the previous Prime Minister,” she said, referring to Carney’s predecessor Justin Trudeau, who had an antagonistic attitude towards its resource sector.
There were nine questions other than that related to separation. Until late Tuesday evening, voters had supported the province on eight of them, including five related to immigration. “Those disputes will be settled within the political and legal institutions of our nation rather than pursuing the option of separation,” Smith said.