News Release
Premier’s Address to the Province
October 20, 2026
Premier Danielle Smith’s Address to the Province delivered on October 20th
My fellow Albertans:
Before I speak to the October 19th referendum results, I wanted to take a moment to
update Albertans on the brave men and women of the Canadian Armed Forces who
were involved in the tragic incident at CFB Wainwright this past weekend.
I want to honour those 4 brave young soldiers who paid the ultimate price, preparing to
defend our country.
Private Aidan Goulding, Private Shaun Farrell, Private Hayden Lykkemark, and
Sargeant Morgan Wong.
These men will forever be heroes of Canada.
I also provided an update to the Prime Minister earlier today about the 27 soldiers who
continue to receive care in our hospitals.
I want to assure those injured soldiers, their friends, families, and Canadians nationwide
that these courageous heroes are receiving the highest level of care from Alberta’s very
best health care professionals.
And, as a government, we will make absolutely certain they and their families are
supported with every means at our disposal for the duration of their treatment and
recovery.
We will never forget their sacrifice.
I also want to thank our first responders and health care professionals for their
tremendous work treating and caring for the wounded.
I’d ask all Albertans to please continue to keep our soldiers, their family and friends in
your thoughts over the coming days, weeks, and months ahead.
Now, turning to the referendum.
Yesterday, Albertans voted overwhelmingly in favour of remaining a province of
Canada.
The voter turnout was historic and a powerful testimony of the passion Albertans feel for
our country and our province.
I’d like to thank every Albertan who took the time to exercise their democratic right to
vote and the thousands of election workers and volunteers who made this entire
process possible.
The question of whether Alberta should remain a province within Canada was put on
the ballot because of Alberta’s citizen-initiated referendum process.
Two petitions were put forward by the people and received hundreds of thousands of
signatures from Albertans. Out of respect for that democratic process, that question was
added to the referendum.
The debate regarding our province’s future in Canada has been many years in the
making, as Albertans have struggled to address many long-standing and legitimate
grievances with Ottawa.
This province wide discussion took place at coffee shops, water coolers, online and at
family dinner tables.
The debate was passionate at times, but for the most part, the various campaigns and
dialogue have been civil and respectful. This is another sign of the strength of our
democracy.
And at the end of it all, the people of Alberta cast their votes in an open and democratic
referendum. And the resulting vote from Albertans has given our government a clear
mandate.
Alberta will remain a province of Canada.
Albertans will continue to be Canadians.
And our government will work cooperatively with Albertans, the federal government and
our fellow provinces to secure a prosperous future for our province and our country.
And I want to make it clear tonight that for as long as I am Premier, I will honour this
mandate from Albertans and will not be holding another referendum on this issue.
It is time to move forward together as a strong and free Alberta within a united Canada.
Make no mistake, our government will continue to boldly assert our province’s
autonomy by exercising the provincial rights guaranteed to us under Canada’s
Constitution.
We will use every legal and political tool at our disposal to protect and advance the
interests of Albertans. And when Ottawa interferes with those rights, we will be
unrelenting in our response.
But those disputes will be settled within the political and legal institutions of our nation
rather than pursuing the option of separation.
I am well aware that not every grievance Alberta has with Ottawa has been resolved.
There are still many political and constitutional battles ahead of us.
But I am also convinced that the federal government is no longer targeting and trying to
phase out and eliminate Alberta’s largest economic sectors as they attempted to do
under the previous Prime Minister.
In fact, both the federal Conservatives and federal Liberals are united in supporting
Alberta and our key industries in a manner we haven’t seen in a generation.
Only the marginal voices in the NDP and Green parties say otherwise.
And that shift in national, public and political opinion is largely thanks to you.
Albertans have turned the tide of this nation and reset the relationship with our federal
government in a positive direction.
We also know more work needs to be done.
Although results are still coming in, it appears that Albertans have directed the
provincial government to take greater control over immigration so we can moderate the
extraordinary population growth our province has experienced and prioritize jobs and
opportunities for Albertans and Canadians.
They have given us direction to ensure temporary residents pay a portion of the cost of
public services used by themselves and their families.
They have spoken in favour of requiring proof of Canadian citizenship in order to vote.
We also are waiting for Elections Alberta to confirm whether Albertans have provided
direction to pursue more provincial autonomy over the selection of judges, to abolish the
unelected federal Senate, and to better protect our provincial rights. We will know the
answer to those questions in a couple of days.
And we will continue pursuing the mandate Albertans previously gave our government
to seek fundamental reform of the federal equalization program.
We will be pursuing the reforms approved by Albertans through this referendum in the
coming months and years ahead.
And although the majority of Albertans voted to remain in Canada, hundreds of
thousands did not. I want to address those Albertans now.
I recognize you as loyal Albertans.
You love this province, and you want your family and neighbours to have every
opportunity to succeed.
Many of you view Ottawa as having threatened your freedoms and blocked your path to
prosperity.
I acknowledge the legitimate frustrations you’ve felt – most especially during the Justin
Trudeau Liberal-NDP coalition years.
For so many of you, it resulted in you or a loved one losing a job or career…or
shuttering your small business.
There were countless lost opportunities, and in many instances, family members and
friends were forced to move far away to find work.
I’ve listened to so many of your stories. Those stories have touched my heart and I want
you to know I see and understand you.
You need to know that your voices have been heard. Not just by our government, but
also by your fellow Albertans and your fellow Canadians.
And make no mistake, you, along with your fellow Albertans who voted to remain, have
had a tremendous effect on helping to alter the direction of Canada for the better.
So tonight I want to invite every Albertan who may still feel hopeless or frustrated with
the past direction of our country, to believe and hope in Canada again.
Because although our country isn’t perfect and there is still much work to be done, I
believe that Canada is on the rise again.
We are reversing course away from a lost decade and towards a bright future with
Alberta’s prosperity at its centre.
Canada has changed significantly over the past 18 months.
Across our country, there is now a growing recognition that Alberta’s energy,
agriculture, technology and natural resources are not liabilities.
They are national strengths.
There is a renewed understanding that Canada cannot achieve prosperity by preventing
its strongest industries from succeeding.
Pipelines that were once declared impossible are now being built as national priorities.
Canada is once again producing more energy, exporting more resources, building more
major projects and attracting more investment.
And as I said, both of Canada’s major federal parties – the Conservatives and the
Liberals – now recognize the central importance of Alberta’s energy industry to our
national economy.
That is a monumental change that Albertans helped to bring about.
We made our arguments.
We defended our province.
We challenged policies we believed were wrong.
And Canadians listened.
The new energy agreement between Alberta and Ottawa has already attracted
hundreds of billions in new investment for pipelines, new electricity generation and so
much more.
The destructive federal net-zero electricity regulations are gone.
The economically disastrous oil and gas production cap has been scrapped.
Pacific Link, a new million barrel a day oil pipeline to the BC west coast has been fast
tracked as a Project of National Interest by the federal government.
It is on track to have its permitting completed by September 2027 so shovels can be in
the ground soon after.
We have also seen massive new investments by the federal government in Alberta in
everything from military infrastructure and manufacturing – to high speed rail – affordable
housing – and so much more.
Canadians from every region are now supporting Alberta’s vision for a prosperous,
energy-rich nation, with strong provinces building a Canada we can all be proud of.
That’s why I believe Canada can work and thrive.
I believe it’s working better every day, and it can work even better in the future if we
keep fighting together for it.
Now, will Alberta and Ottawa still have disagreements on issues from time to time? Of
course we will.
That is a part of any healthy democracy. And Alberta will battle and continue to win
those fights in the courts of law and in the court public opinion.
But, as Albertans and Canadians, it is time to unite and lead our nation forward.
Because Canada has so much to offer and has a such solid foundation to build upon.
And there is so much more that unites us, than divides us.
Our impossibly beautiful landscapes and coastlines
Our sacred national anthem. Our beloved national sport. Our shared heritage and
history.
It’s coming together each year to celebrate the courage of Terry Fox, who still inspires
us to action more than four decades after his Marathon of Hope.
It’s the memory of our heroic men and women in uniform who fought together in
defence of freedom around the world.
At Vimy Ridge.
At Juno Beach.
In Korea.
In Afghanistan.
At CFB Wainwright.
Every November 11th, we unite in remembrance of those sacrifices.
Together, we have built a Canada that is loved and respected all over the world.
We have built railways, cities, industries, and communities together.
Canadian scientists, engineers, entrepreneurs, farmers, energy workers and innovators
have helped change the world.
And Alberta has been central to that Canadian story.
And our country works best when every region believes it has a meaningful voice in our
shared future.
That is the Canada I believe in.
A Canada of strong provinces.
A Canada that develops its resources for the benefit of our people.
A Canada that rewards hard work, innovation and entrepreneurship.
A Canada that respects its Constitution.
And a Canada in which Alberta is not on the sidelines — but helping to lead the way.
Yesterday, Albertans made their choice.
Today, we begin the next chapter.
Let us move forward not as a people divided by how we voted yesterday, but as
neighbours, friends, Albertans and Canadians.
Let us treat one another with respect and compassion.
Let us stand proudly for this province.
And let us work together to build an Alberta — and a Canada — worthy of the
generations that will follow us.
This is our province.
This is our country.
This is our home and our family.
Our true north, strong and free.
And together, I know we will keep Alberta and Canada forever strong and free.
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Watch the Premier’s televised address
Related information
Premier’s Address to the Province | Alberta.ca
