Alberta Premier Danielle Smith says she has officially marked her ballot in the provinces separation referendum — and it’s a vote for a united Canada.
“We have seen great progress lately in addressing the unfair laws and policies that have hurt Alberta,” Smith said in a video posted Wednesday to social media announcing she had voted earlier in the day.
She said she knows many Albertans are frustrated with the federal government, but said the province is starting to see headway with major projects, including a proposed new oil pipeline to the B.C. coast.
Smith encouraged fellow Albertans to vote to stay. She has long said she would vote for the province to remain in Confederation.
“Canada can still work,” she said. “We just need to make some changes.”
Monday is the official polling day but advance polls are open this week.
Smith has put 10 questions on the ballot, including one that asks whether Albertans want to stay in Canada or hold a second, binding referendum on quitting Confederation.
The other nine questions deal with proposals Smith has put forward for immigration and constitutional reform. Her government seeks approval from Albertans to seek more control over immigration, along with new rules and fees for newcomers.
They also seek approval from Albertans to pursue working with other provinces to change the Constitution and devolve more power to provinces.
Smith again urged Albertans to vote yes to those nine questions.
“Voting yes to questions one through nine is how we send a message to Ottawa that provinces need more autonomy and respect if Canada is going to be stronger and unified,” she said.
Advance voting began Tuesday and ends Saturday. Elections Alberta said the first day was a busy one, with close to 175,000 voters trekking to the polls.
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Opposition NDP Leader Naheed Nenshi was among those who voted Tuesday. He encouraged Albertans to reject the United Conservative Party government’s nine proposals and vote to stay in Canada.
Michelle Gurney, a spokesperson for the agency, said Tuesday’s turnout was higher than the daily average of nearly 152,000 people seen during the advance voting period in the 2023 provincial election.
Gurney said a few advance polling stations stayed open late Tuesday to accommodate those who were in line before 8 p.m., including one that kept the lights on for three hours after it was supposed to close.
Technology issues at 17 polling stations meant some also stayed late to make up for delayed openings.
Issues also came up Wednesday, when severe winds caused afternoon power outages at two rural polling stations north of Edmonton.
Elections Alberta has said it’s expecting record voter turnout for the referendum, and it saw unprecedented interest in mail-in ballot requests last month.
Gurney said Wednesday that nearly two thirds of the roughly 658,000 special ballots requested have now been returned ahead of Friday’s 5 p.m. deadline.
Polls have suggested a strong majority of Albertans want to remain in Canada, but the debate has at times been acrimonious, dividing families and neighbours.
In Coutts — a tiny village on the U.S. border that became ground zero in the anti-government COVID-19 protests — the sign wars rage.
Several pro-Canada signs and Canadian flags were present on many people’s lawns Wednesday, counterweight to an equal number of signs urging Alberta to move on from Confederation.
One home proudly had a Republic of Alberta flag beside a Montana state flag.
Coutts made headlines in early 2022 as part of the broader “Freedom Convoy” movement that erupted across Canada in protest of COVID-19 vaccine mandates and public health restrictions. Trucks and vehicles blocked the U.S. access point for two weeks, tying up traffic and disrupting trade.
Former Alberta premier Jason Kenney has said that after the pandemic, the protesters’ focus morphed into separatism.
Jim Willett, 78, the mayor of Coutts during the trucker blockade, agrees.
“They just changed flags. Separationists that are local are the ones that buy into the conspiracy theories and all of that,” said Willett, who sports a Forever Canadian lawn sign and two Canadian flags in his front yard.
Willett, who grew up in Texas, said he understands the feeling of alienation.
“I know what it’s like to live in an area where you were a Texan first and you were an American second,” he said. “You didn’t like being told what you had to do and I can understand it here.”
Scott MacCumber, the current mayor of Coutts, declined a request for an interview.
William Harty, 72, has operated the Double Tree Motel in the village for a quarter century, and said he supports the decision to hold a vote. But he said he doesn’t support Alberta leaving Canada.
“I believe it’s a good deal to send a message, but I want to stay in Canada,” he said.
“If we separate, (U.S. President Donald) Trump may come in and take us over.”
He said having the vote might be what’s needed to get Ottawa’s attention.
“They’re getting a lot more money out of Alberta,” he said.
“Be a little more fair.”
— With files from Bill Graveland in Coutts, Alta.
A crying child will get milk. Learn from Quebec. If you cause a separation, you will get a lot of federal money. Otherwise, you can only pay taxes. Ontario should also hold an independence referendum.
In terms of tax payment and subsidies, Alberta clearly pays more but gets less! Oil is everywhere, but the federal government restricts its development in various ways, and taxes are piled up layer by layer.
If the Canadian federal government strongly supports the oil and gas industry, Canada’s average GDP will surpass that of the United Arab Emirates in the Middle East.
Peter Lougheed must be turning over in his grave. Oh the glory days!
Even BC is sick and tired of ON and QC running the country.
If West Canada were to become a country then it would make sense.
AB on it’s own doesn’t make sense.
Alberta voters selecting to leave and I thought all the stupid people were in the USA.
@Anonymous
October 15, 2026 at 7:26 pm
“Millennials, gen x, gen z and what ever gen alphabet you want, all a bunch of whining fgots that want everything handed to them. Drop dead.”
Have a swig of Geritol and go take a nap Old Man.
Commenter below gonna go eat his poodle azz out then give blow job
Good night albertards
Millennials, gen x, gen z and what ever gen alphabet you want, all a bunch of whining fgots that want everything handed to them. Drop dead.
Millennials, gen x, gen z and what ever gen alphabet you want, all a bunch of whining footsteps that what everything handed to them. Drop dead.
More per capita garbage. Answer the question of only 1 person existed in a province and paid $100,000 in tax per year they should be entitled to more because of per capita numbers.
A.I. you are an idiot, but what’s new. Separate,. Get your stool and find a cow card.
MAGA seem love Global for some real news. So many here despite them telling to stay away from MSN. Too funny. Pete’s patriot youtube can only repeat pizza gate before it becomes boring.
From the Library of Parliament:
In 2024, Alberta and British Columbia were the only two provinces where federal revenues exceeded federal expenditures. Alberta recorded the largest net contribution per capita, meaning that federal revenues collected in the province exceeded federal expenditures allocated to it by the widest margin in that year.
Translation for those who are particularly iq-challenged: all the other provinces are net consumers of tax revenue, not contributors. It does not matter how much Ontario collects in taxes, it gets everything it collects back and then some. So, s. t. F. U.
per capita numbers, who cares. So if only 1 person existed in a province and paid $100,000 in tax per year they should be entitled to more because of per capita numbers. Duh. Fact is ontario provides 3x the amount of tax money compared to alberta.
F. U.
Look up per capita numbers. Alberta at the top! duh!
Alberta, isn’t that a female name? I wonder who swallows.
Headline should read : Smith CLAIMS she voted to remain
cunada is a shathole, all you lib swallowers are dumb as a bag of rocks
Look it up.
Net Federal Tax Revenue by Province (2023 Tax Year)
According to the Canada Revenue Agency Individual Tax Statistics, the total net federal tax collected by province or territory ranks as follows:
• Ontario: $86,097,521,000
• Quebec: $40,318,908,000
• British Columbia: $30,463,430,000
• Alberta: $28,745,874,000
• Manitoba: $5,737,150,000
• Saskatchewan: $5,445,079,000
• Nova Scotia: $4,234,980,000
• New Brunswick: $2,994,688,000
• Newfoundland and Labrador: $2,321,180,000
• Prince Edward Island: $636,054,000
As per Carney.
Canada interferes in US politics. Ok
US interferes in Canadian politics: Not ok.
Elbows Up!
I knew Alberta didn’t contribute the most as they have consistently said. Bunch of liars.
What a pos
Bunch of cranky liberal and ndp supporters in here. Fact is Alberta produces more per capita than any other province including Ontario and Quebec, yet we continue to get the short end of the stick from the Feds. I applaud Smith for letting the people speak and send a clear message to the federal government…. after all, that’s what true democracy is.
Using StatsCan for population numbers and Hamid’s Finance Canada information: Alberta is about 12.2% of Canada’s population but only contributes 11.7% of the revenue to the federal government.
Well, whadda ya know. I am so tired of the manufactured outrage of a tiny, loud, minority of cranks.
@ Hamid – She should face a non-confidence vote immediately. Indulging the UCP cranks with her Alberta Next tour brought us here. What a colossal waste.
@ 11:49 Anonymous – Thanks for gathering that information.
She can say whatever she wants. wWe will never really know, as secrecy is the hallmark of elections, but i assume she is lying as she always does. She and Trump are this continent’s biggest liars.
She voted along with those other dumbfucks to separate.. But, as I said, we’ll never know for sure
I think she and her party are simply trying to advance their own interests by exploiting this issue and misleading the public. Now that they realize they may not win the case, they seem to be changing their approach.
It’s time for them to step aside and let capable, accountable people take charge of the province. I also believe the federal government should hold you and your supporters accountable if you have deliberately misled the public or acted against the country interests.
Enough with Alberta being the sole province supporting Canada all by its self! Even with Manitoba Saskatachewan and Alberta put together you don’t even match the tax revenue of Quebec and add on British Columbia you still don’t come close to Ontario!
How the hell would you even start being able to support yourselves with all the costs a whole country requires!
Ranking by Total Gross Revenue Collected
Because federal tax rates are uniform across the country, the total amount of money transferred to Ottawa is heavily dictated by population size and economic output. According to Department of Finance Canada data, the share of total federal revenues collected from each province and territory ranks as follows:
Rank Province / Territory Share of Total Federal Revenue Generated
1 Ontario 38.2%
2 Quebec 19.9%
3 Alberta 11.7%
4 British Columbia 11.1%
5 Manitoba 3.6%
6 Saskatchewan 2.6%
7 Nova Scotia 2.4%
8 New Brunswick 1.9%
9 Newfoundland and Labrador 1.6%
10 Prince Edward Island 0.4%
11 Yukon 0.2%
12 Northwest Territories 0.1%
13 Nunavut 0.1%
She should never have: 1)changed the rules to allow a loud, small far right US Republican/Trump administration connected minority to ask for a referendum and 2)called a referendum.
She’s been caught lying before, nothing she says is to be believed. She has been nothing but a disaster, and has severely damaged the province.
The sooner she’s out of the job, the better it will be for Albertans.
I C THE DDS IS STRONG AGAIN IN THESE COMMENTS ! GOD I HOPE OUR VOTERS ARE MORE INTELLIGENT THAN THIS LOT ! THANKS FOR THE REFERENDUM MRS.SMITH !!
@y?
“ If it weren’t for COVID, Trump, and climate hysteria would they still be in power?”
They aren’t
Until the destructive, divisive, useless Federal Liberals are voted out seperation will always cast a shadow.
Its been 12 years now, what exactly have they done? What policies? What actions?
If it weren’t for COVID, Trump, and climate hysteria would they still be in power?
Why wouldn’t she? Conservatives are getting everything they want under carney, just under the guise of a “liberal party”. You have a pipeline, defunded public services, a bloated military budget, a drop in immigration, new prisons being built, corporatization and privatization of all of our nationalized institutions, and all the cons do is complain it’s not a conservative government doing it. Jesus, take the win.
Disappointing, but expected outcome.
Quebec will also talk about separating, but that will never happen because they couldn’t survive without Alberta’s transfer payments.
Personally I think “BrainHurts” said what really needed to be said when they posted,
“Hahaha yuckity pluckity hoohaa Bebop zippity bippity dippity flippity flop mish mash shilly shally working in the lab late one night, he did the mash, monster mash”
The articulation of wisdom and insight demonstated at this level is truly a rare gem to stumble upon these days
Wretched Hag.I was hoping Alberta would separate so I could get out of this 3rd World Sh*thole the separates Alberta’s Western Border from the Pacific and not have to cross the Fraser River that divides China from India to get to work everyday.
Hopefully Eby gets the boot but B.C. being the Liberal dumpster that it is will likely keep the Question Mark Carcass in power.
@ anonymous….fyi…the Hindus don’t make decisions…they just work here. The federal govt makes those decisions. Wait till your dummy govt screws you ten ways from Sunday with your pension…health care etc….pot calling the kettle black. Do me a favor and go tend to your ostriches! Thanks
Hahaha yuckity pluckity hoohaa Bebop zippity bippity dippity flippity flop mish mash shilly shally working in the lab late one night, he did the mash, monster mash
what i mean to say was The people will vote 10% to stay in Canada…….90% to to leave. Sorry seperatists.i had swallowed to many loads of liberal jiz last night at the forever Canada bareback party last night, after so many loads it hurt my brain .oops me bad!!!
@ citizen, you’re born dumb you’ll die dumb, in your DNA
The people will vote 10% to leave Canada…….90% to stay. Sorry seperatists.
Anonymous the village idiot has spoken everyone…again and sadly again… big mouth dolt.
@ BC resident…… take a look at BCs provincial government. Pffft, you would be better keeping your cake hole shut.
@ BC resident……. take a look at your own provincial government. Pffft, you should keep your cake hole shut.
Hey bc peasant I hope revenue canada calls you and the east indian on the phone cuts your pension off . You won’t be so mouthy will you ? Lol
@ hillbilly…..whats the rifle for? More domestic issues? You guys are the leaders of farm ” disturbances” ! And the country of Alberta? You couldn’t run a 7 eleven….and that’s with a Hindus help!
Every adult citizen of country of ALBERTA will get an free assault rifle and ammo
The Wildrose floor crosser votes to stay in Canada and is hoping that Albertans will vote the way she wants on the other questions so she can keep her anti immigration separatists happy so she can hopefully stay in power during the next provincial election.
There should be a provincial election as soon as this circus of a referendum is over so Albertans can decide if they want to keep a separatist as their Premier or not. Unfortunately the other option of the Nenshi lead NDP would be worse and until we get better options Alberta will stay divided and this referendum will make the problems worse .
@joe, you gotta be the dumbest lib cack gobbler ever, keep scking it’s what you do best
@ joe….look up short clip on Jean chretien…he nails what you just said and other points. One / two combo….said they’ve never made so much…
Old ugly two faced wants to stay in Canada , just answer the rigged questions the Governor has carefully worded to further the flames of separation . Actions speak louder than words , when a persons goes out of there way to aid , lead, and abet seperatists , they are a separatist leader and conspirator . This is treason and should be dealt with accordingly. No more fake tears of how badly the federal government has abused you and your seperatists, the reality is Alberta has been the most prosperous province in Canada . Lock the governor up.
This is some kind of dumb….Alberta dumb! The rarest of the dumb. Only ever seen in the province of Alberta Canada….never found anywhere else in the world.
SHES THE ONE WHO FORCED THE REFERENDUM VOTE THROUGH!!!!
There are no words.