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Referendum

In a referendum, electors are asked to respond to a question, generally with a “yes” or “no” vote. Referendums are conducted under the Referendum Act and can be regarding constitutional or non-constitutional questions. Alberta has held two referendums under this Act and currently planning a Referendum for October 19, 2026. Once the Order in Council is issued, the questions will be posted here. The Election Act, and regulations under the Election Act, apply to the conduct of holding the referendum.

Alberta has held two previous referendums under the Referendum Act.

 

A referendum has been set for October 19, 2026. The Orders in Council for the referendum were approved March 31, 2026.

As of March 31, 2026, Alberta is in a referendum period and referendum third party advertising legislation is in effect. This legislation requires political participants to follow rules around referendum advertising, and financial contributions and disclosure. For more information on these responsibilities and requirements to register as a third party advertiser, please see Referendum TPAs.

Note: The Election Finances and Contributions Disclosure Act does not apply to a registered party, constituency association, or MLA for a referendum.

As set out in the Orders, the nine referendum questions to be put to the electors, and to which the response from an elector who votes in the referendum must be either “yes” or “no”, shall be the following.

Each referendum question will be on a separate ballot.

O.C 109/2026 sets out the following constitutional questions:

  1. 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?
  2. 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?
  3. 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?
  4. 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?

O.C. 110/2026 sets out the following questions and orders the results of the referendum on these questions are not to be binding:

  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?
  2. Do you support the Government of Alberta introducing a law mandating that only Canadian citizens, permanent residents and individuals with an Alberta­approved immigration status will be eligible for provincially-funded programs, such as health care, education and other social services?
  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?
  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?
  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?

The Election Act, and regulations under the Election Act, apply to the conduct of the referendum.

Scrutineers are permitted for a referendum for each official party and each proponent for a question arising from a successful citizen initiative petition. Additional scrutineers may be permitted for third party advertisers representing a Yes or No position on the referendum questions. For more information about referendum scrutineers, please visit Referendum Scrutineers.

Unofficial Results

Any question that is the result of a successful citizen initiative petition must begin being counted first at each voting location and station. Results will be published on Elections Alberta’s results website as they are received from returning officers.

The unofficial ballot count, must be completed within the following timelines:

  • 12 hours after close of voting if there are 1 or 2 questions,
  • 24 hours after close of voting if there are 3 or 4 questions,
  • 36 hours after close of voting if there are 5 or 6 questions, and
  • 48 hours after close of voting if there are 7 or more questions.