Referendum questions blame minorities for Alberta’s challenges

EDMONTON, AB – With the Alberta referendum just over a month away, a new report from Parkland Institute takes a close look at the five referendum questions dealing with immigration, providing  background and context for the questions and identifying them as part of an age-old strategy of blaming minorities for social, political, and economic challenges facing society.

The report, Scapegoating and Separatists: Why Immigration Is on the Ballot in October, authored by University of Lethbridge assistant professor Bronwyn Bragg, seeks to answer two questions: Why immigration? And why now, when immigration and temporary resident numbers have declined in both Alberta and Canada?

The report argues that Premier Danielle Smith is using the questions to redirect public anger over affordability and strained public services toward immigrants. It also traces parallels between the language used in the ballot questions and anti-immigrant rhetoric advanced by Alberta’s far right and separatist movement.

“The questions closely mirror long-standing tropes advanced by the Trumpian right in the United States and around the world,” says Bragg. “These narratives are dangerous and damaging in any context, but especially so when embraced and promoted by a premier and her government.”

The report also challenges the questions’ implication that non-permanent residents are overwhelming Alberta’s public services without contributing to them. Of Alberta’s 271,024 non-permanent residents, 75 per cent hold work permits, meaning they work in the province and pay taxes. “Despite their significant contributions to Alberta’s economy, these workers have limited eligibility for provincially funded social support programs,” says Bragg.

“Ultimately, these questions do nothing to address immigration policy or the challenges facing Alberta today. They are there to foster anger and promote scapegoating,” concludes Bragg.

-  30  -

For the full report, visit https://www.parklandinstitute.ca/referendum_2026 

For more information or to arrange an interview, please contact:

Rita Espeschit
Research Communications Specialist, Parkland Institute
[email protected]