Albertans voice strong opposition to most proposed referendum questions during 10-day Good Morning Calgary discussions
A series of 10 days of discussions on Good Morning Calgary, hosted by Rishi Nagar, has produced a mixed but largely decisive response from participants on questions expected to be put before Albertans in the October 2026 referendum.
The data is based on the responses recorded during the discussions and is not presented as a scientific public opinion poll.
On immigration, 70 per cent of respondents opposed giving the Alberta government increased control over immigration with the stated goal of reducing immigration to more sustainable levels, prioritizing economic migration and giving Albertans first priority for new employment opportunities.
Opposition was even stronger on a proposal to restrict access to provincially funded programs such as health care, education and other social services to Canadian citizens, permanent residents and people with Alberta-approved immigration status.
Only 5 of 55 respondents — 9.1 per cent — supported that proposal, while 50, or 90.9 per cent, opposed it. A separate question asked whether people with non-permanent legal immigration status should have to live in Alberta for at least 12 months before becoming eligible for provincially funded social-support programs, while maintaining existing eligibility for Canadian citizens and permanent residents.
Here too, opposition was stronger than support. Twenty respondents, or 73.1 per cent, said no, compared with seven, or 26.9 per cent, who supported the proposal. The proposal to charge a reasonable fee or premium to people with non-permanent immigration status for their use of Alberta's health-care and education systems generated the strongest opposition among the immigration-related questions.
Just 3 of 40 respondents — 7.5 per cent supported the measure, while 37 respondents, or 92.5 per cent, opposed it.
The clearest support in the discussions came on the question of voting requirements.
Nearly nine in 10 respondents (89.7 per cent) supported requiring voters to provide proof of Canadian citizenship, such as a passport, birth certificate or citizenship card, when voting in an Alberta provincial election. Thirty-five respondents supported the proposal and four opposed it. The proposed constitutional changes involving Alberta's relationship with Ottawa also faced substantial opposition among respondents.
A proposal for Alberta to work with other willing provinces to amend the Constitution so that provincial governments, rather than the federal government, would select justices appointed to provincial King's Bench and Appeal courts was opposed by 88.2 per cent of respondents. Four supported the proposal and 30 opposed it.
The proposal to work with other provinces to amend the Constitution to abolish the unelected federal Senate also failed to attract majority support among the respondents. Six people supported the idea, while 21 opposed it, representing 22.2 per cent support and 77.8 per cent opposition.
Opposition was even more pronounced on proposals seeking greater provincial autonomy over federal programs and legislation.
Only 2 of 32 respondents — 6.25 per cent supported allowing provinces to opt out of federal programs in areas such as health care, education and social services without losing associated federal funding. Thirty respondents opposed the proposal.
Similarly, a proposal to give provincial laws priority over federal laws in cases involving provincial or shared areas of constitutional jurisdiction received 6.1 per cent support, with 31 of 33 respondents opposed.
The final question asked respondents whether Alberta should remain a province of Canada or whether the provincial government should begin the legal process required to hold a binding referendum on whether Alberta should separate from Canada.
All 42 respondents recorded for this question chose to remain in Canada, with none supporting the separation option.
Taken together, the 10 days of responses show a clear pattern: while participants strongly supported proof-of-citizenship requirements for provincial voting, the majority opposed the proposed immigration restrictions and constitutional changes. Most significantly, there was unanimous opposition among the 42 recorded respondents to beginning the process toward an Alberta separation referendum.
Taken together, the responses recorded during the 10-day Good Morning Calgary discussions show a clear pattern: participants were strongly supportive of requiring proof of citizenship to vote, but largely opposed the immigration restrictions and constitutional changes included in the questions.