The federal government says it is already in discussions with Alberta over immigration levels and jurisdiction, as the province prepares to vote Monday on a slate of referendum questions that include several related to immigration policy.
Eleanor Olszewski, the only federal cabinet minister from Alberta, told CTV Question Period host Vassy Kapelos that Ottawa is open to further discussions with the province if Albertans vote “yes” to the referendum questions dealing with immigration. “I can tell you that we are already engaged in those discussions, and Prime Minister Mark Carney said Thursday we didn’t really need a referendum to tell us what issues we need to talk about with Alberta or any other province,” Olszewski said. Asked whether this could mean greater provincial control over immigration, she said it remains “a shared jurisdiction” and that Ottawa is “engaged in discussions with the province with respect to levels and sustainability.”
What the Referendum Questions Ask
Albertans are voting on ten referendum questions in total. While the question on separation has drawn the most attention, nine other questions cover issues ranging from proposed constitutional changes to health-care access, with roughly half focused on immigration. Those questions ask whether the province should have greater control over who enters Alberta, whether Canadian citizens and permanent residents should get priority access to government-funded services, whether temporary residents should wait a year before accessing certain social supports, and whether temporary residents should pay fees for public health care and education.
Federal Minister Points to Existing Policy
Federal Immigration Minister Lena Diab, speaking at an unrelated press conference in Kitchener, Ont., on Friday, was asked whether Ottawa would grant Alberta more policy powers on immigration if the referendum questions pass. “We are already doing what those questions are saying in our levels plan, in our policies,” Diab said. She added that she is working “collaboratively and in partnership with the provinces and territories” on the file, calling immigration “a joint provincial-federal responsibility” that requires continued cooperation across the country.
Carney Urges a ‘No’ Vote
Prime Minister Mark Carney, during a visit to Calgary ahead of a pro-federalist rally on Friday, did not express the same openness to expanding provincial control over immigration. Instead, he urged the crowd to vote against the nine non-separation questions, telling attendees to vote “No to the Nine” and thanking them for their efforts ahead of the vote.
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