Danielle Smith Alberta Referendum Adds 1 Seccession Question
Danielle Smith Alberta referendum moved onto new ground Wednesday when Alberta Premier Danielle Smith said her government will add a secession question to the province’s Oct. 19 vote. The referendum had already been scheduled and was largely centred on immigration; the new question asks Albertans whether the province should remain in Canada or begin the legal process for a binding separation referendum.
Alberta’s Oct. 19 ballot
The added wording reads: “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?” That puts the separation issue directly before voters on the same date as the original referendum.
The government’s decision changes the ballot from a single-issue vote into one that also asks whether Alberta should take the first formal step toward a second referendum on separation. For voters, the immediate choice is not separation itself, but whether the province should start the constitutional process that would lead to a binding vote.
Stéphane Dion on Alberta
Stéphane Dion, a former federal minister and former intergovernmental affairs minister, warned Canadians not to give separatists in Alberta room to gain traction. He said the government and individual Canadians need to be relentless in making the case to Albertans for staying in Canada.
He also said the referendum is not only an Alberta issue. “it’s a matter for all Canadians because it is our country,” Dion said. He added: “It’s a matter for me as a Quebecker. It’s a matter for Newfoundlanders. It’s a matter for everyone. All Canadians should say to Albertans how much we are proud to share the same country with them.”
Clarity Act and Quebec
Dion helped develop the Clarity Act, which was enacted in 2000, and the federal government has said the law is not germane to the current situation because Alberta voters are being asked whether they want a direct referendum on leaving the country. The act says any referendum on separation must have a clear question and would require a “clear majority” to facilitate separation.
The Quebec vote in 1995 remains the closest comparison in the facts provided: 50.58 per cent voted no and 49.42 per cent voted yes. That history explains why the wording of Alberta’s new question, and the size of any majority behind it, will be watched closely once voters go to the polls on Oct. 19.
