On October 19, 2026 a referendum was held in Alberta on ten separate ballot questions, one of which addressed Albertan independence from Canada. Alberta premier Danielle Smith had previously announced the referendum in February of the same year. In her address, she announced that Albertans will be asked to vote on nine questions. Five questions were non-constitutional and pertained to immigration laws and election security in Alberta. The other four were constitutional, and relate to Alberta's relationship with the Government of Canada, seeking amendments to the Constitution of Canada. On May 21, 2026, Smith announced a tenth referendum question, on whether Alberta should remain within Canada or pursue a path toward a binding referendum on separating from Canada. For the first 9 ballot questions, results have not yet been finalized, however, on the question of Albertan independence, the CBC projected a "no" result at 11:12 PM local (Mountain) Time.
Background
Referendum process
In early 2026, premier Danielle Smith promised a referendum on immigration, social services, and Constitutional questions arising from the Alberta Next town halls. On March 31, 2026, the Government of Alberta approved two orders-in-council under the Referendum Act which posed nine questions to Albertans on October 19, 2026. The results of the non-constitutional questions are non-binding on the government. In April, the government launched a website intended to educate voters on the referendum questions; however, the website was criticized as a biased use of government funds to persuade voters to vote in favour of the questions.
The referendum was administered under Alberta's Referendum Act and Election Act. Eligible voters were residents who are Canadian citizens, aged 18 years or older, and an ordinary resident at the time of the vote.
Previous referendums in Alberta
Seven provincial referendums have occurred in Alberta. Referendums on prohibition occurred in 1915, 1920, and 1923. A referendum was held in 1948 on the creation of a provincial government electrical utility. There were also referendums on changes to liquor laws in 1957; daylight saving time in 1967 and in 1971, and in 2021 referendums on cancellation of Canada's equalization program and daylight saving time.
Alberta sovereignty petitions
Support for Alberta separatism has increased since the 2015 Canadian federal election, where Liberal Party of Canada leader Justin Trudeau was elected prime minister of Canada. This continued after the 2025 Canadian federal election, in which his successor, Mark Carney, led the Liberals to a fourth consecutive term in government.
Under Alberta's Citizen Initiative Act, Albertans can petition the government to hold a referendum on a topic once a certain number of signatures are collected. On May 15, 2025, the law was modified to lower the threshold for triggering a citizen initiative petition from 20% of eligible voters to 10% of votes cast in the previous election, and extended the signature-gathering period for petitions from 90 days to 120 days.
Two petitions have allegedly reached the minimum signature triggers. As of May 2026, neither petition question is present on the October 2026 referendum. Thomas Lukaszuk's Alberta Forever Canada petition was verified by Elections Alberta to have collected 404,293 signatures, and asks: "Do you agree that Alberta should remain in Canada?" The Stay Free Alberta petition claims to have collected over 301,000 signatures, and asks: "Do you agree that the province of Alberta shall become a sovereign country and cease to be a province in Canada?"
Results
Non-constitutional questions
Question 1
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?
Question 2
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?
Question 3
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?
Question 4
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 healthcare and education systems?
Question 5
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?
Constitutional questions
Question 6
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 King's Bench and Appeal courts?
Question 7
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?
Question 8
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?
Question 9
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 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?
Independence question
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?
Polling
An October 2026 Pollara poll found the following results.
A September 2026 Angus Reid poll found the following results.
An August 2026 Research Co. poll found the following results.
A July 2026 ACS-Leger poll found the following results. % Support:
A March 2026 Leger poll found the following results.