Canada’s Alberta to Hold Referendum on New Restrictions for Immigrants

Attendees arrive for a rally of Alberta independence activists in Calgary in January. Photo by Leah Hennel /Photographer: Leah Hennel/Bloomb

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(Bloomberg) — The Canadian province of Alberta will hold a referendum on restricting immigration and reducing newcomers’ access to public services as it grapples with falling crude prices and a growing budget shortfall.

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The oil-rich region plans to hold a vote on Oct. 19 asking voters if they support the provincial government taking more control over immigration, in order to bring the influx of newcomers to “more sustainable levels,” Premier Danielle Smith said in prepared remarks for a television address Thursday.

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Alberta, which has higher average incomes and lower tax rates than other provinces, has grown about 15% in six years to pass 5 million people last year. That’s the fastest rate of any large Canadian province, according to estimates from the national statistics agency. 

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At the same time, Smith is dealing with a right-wing populist movement that’s seeking more autonomy for the province, with some activists trying to force their own referendum on independence.

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Smith’s government will deliver a budget next week that’s being pressured by weaker resource revenues. A drop in oil prices since 2022 has turned a nearly C$12 billion ($8.8 billion) surplus into an expected deficit. Desjardins analyst Randall Bartlett has said the shortfall may exceed C$10 billion in the fiscal year that starts April 1.

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“Although sustainable immigration has always been an important part of our provincial growth model, throwing the doors wide open to anyone and everyone across the globe has flooded our classrooms, emergency rooms and social support systems with far too many people, far too quickly,” Smith said in her remarks.

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While immigration in Canada is primarily a federal government responsibility, provinces have some say.

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The referendum will ask voters if they support requiring people without citizenship or permanent residence status to live in the province for 12 months before they can access provincially-funded social support programs and charging those individuals a fee for access to health care and education.

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Voters will also be asked whether they back a law requiring people to provide proof of citizenship, such as a passport, birth certificate, or citizenship card, in order to vote in provincial elections — a measure that echoes the Save America Act being promoted by President Donald Trump in the US.

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The Alberta approach draws inspiration from Quebec’s long-standing nationalist policies to assert its autonomy — not only in immigration, but also in fiscal matters and in establishing its own pension fund. In 1991, the province signed an agreement with Ottawa to gain more powers over immigration, with the aim of protecting its most widely spoken language, French.

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That accord, which recognizes Quebec’s distinct identity, gives the province the power to select newcomers and set immigration thresholds, and provides for financial compensation for the management of integration services.