Alberta political news — three former premiers who rarely agree on anything are suddenly on the same page. Ed Stelmach, Alison Redford and Rachel Notley published a joint submission Wednesday in the Calgary Herald and Edmonton Journal urging Albertans to vote “no” on the five immigration questions on the Oct. 19 Alberta Immigration Referendum ballot, calling the measures “a clear and present threat to Alberta’s continued prosperity.”
By Maplestime News Desk | Edmonton, Alberta | October 15, 2026
Sources: Postmedia (via NewsBeep), Postmedia (via EuropeSays) | Last updated: October 15, 2026
Key Takeaways
- Former Progressive Conservative premiers Ed Stelmach and Alison Redford joined former NDP premier Rachel Notley in a joint op-ed published Oct. 14, urging a “no” vote on the five immigration questions on the Oct. 19 Alberta Immigration Referendum ballot.
- The questions propose Alberta take more control over immigration from Ottawa, limit non-permanent residents’ eligibility for public and social services, and require proof of citizenship to vote in provincial elections.
- The former premiers warn the measures carry “harmful and unintended effects” and that Alberta “will immediately be perceived as a less attractive place for precisely the talent we already need.”
- The UCP government is campaigning for a “yes” vote, saying rapid population growth — roughly 600,000 people from July 2021 to July 2026, two-thirds from international migration — has strained health care and education.
- For Stelmach, Alberta’s first premier of Ukrainian descent, the fight is personal: “I’m grandson of an immigrant and thankfully Canada opened up their arms to immigrants and as a result, I’m here.”
The Alberta Immigration Referendum: What the Five Questions Would Do
The immigration questions running alongside the headline separation question ask voters whether Alberta should grab more control over immigration from the federal government, cut back non-permanent residents’ access to public and social services, and make voters show proof of citizenship in provincial elections. On the province’s referendum website, the government says it is gauging feedback on the questions “to make our services more sustainable, accessible and affordable.”
The three former premiers are not buying the framing. “Although there are reasonable debates to be had on immigration policy, this is not the right forum,” they wrote. “These five propositions take complex policy issues and confound them into confusing, contradictory questions that are hard to decipher.” Their economic argument is blunt: “By nearly every economic measure, immigrants are a boon to Alberta’s economy,” and “the taxes immigrants pay fund critical health and social services.”
Why Stelmach, Redford and Notley Spoke Up
Cross-party unity is rare in Alberta politics; a PC-NDP alliance is rarer still. That this intervention landed on the Alberta Immigration Referendum — not the separation question — says something about which fight the old establishment fears most. The joint byline matters because it signals that opposition to these questions runs deeper than partisan loyalty. Stelmach, who has rarely spoken on politics since leaving office in 2011, said the questions “really hit home.”
They hit home for a reason. As Alberta’s first premier of Ukrainian descent, Stelmach helped welcome dozens of Ukrainian refugees to Edmonton in 2022 after Russia’s full-scale invasion. “Just to look at the faces of the children and the parents and thinking, well, if it wasn’t for us, for Alberta, Canada, really opening their doors, you know, what would happen?” he told CBC News. He recalled watching newcomers come off an aircraft in Edmonton, looking to make a new home. “Otherwise I don’t know what would have happened to our family.”
He also tied the Alberta Immigration Referendum fight to the economy he once ran: “When I was elected premier, we had many immigrants coming to Alberta and we were very thankful because we just couldn’t keep up with the pressures of growth, especially for labour.” With major projects on the horizon, he warned Alberta is about to be “critically short of not only labour, but people experienced in very specialized fields” — and that voting yes would brand the province as the place talent should avoid.
Four Days to the Ballot
Advance voting runs Oct. 13–17, and the final Alberta Immigration Referendum ballot goes out Monday, Oct. 19. The UCP government, led by Premier Danielle Smith — who said after announcing the questions in February that “temporary individuals should be treated as that: temporary and tourists” — is spending the final days urging a “yes.”
There are early signs the final stretch will not run smoothly. Elections Alberta briefly closed advance polls in Athabasca on Oct. 14 after a weather-related power outage; voting there resumed Oct. 15. And while the immigration questions grind along, the separation question looming over the whole ballot shows a stark split: a Leger poll from Oct. 2–4 had 70 per cent of Albertans backing remain against 22 per cent for starting the separation process.
The former premiers are betting that voters can hold two thoughts at once: that rapid growth strains services, and that punishing newcomers is not the fix. Whether Alberta agrees will be on paper in four days.
Maplestime will provide updates from the Alberta Immigration Referendum as announcements are made.
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Three former premiers from opposite ends of the aisle say these immigration questions will make Alberta the place talent avoids — is that a warning worth heeding, or just the old political establishment closing ranks against a government that wants Ottawa to be the villain? Tell us in the comments. And share this with every Albertan voting in the Alberta Immigration Referendum on Oct. 19 who needs to know exactly what is on that ballot.
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