Quite naturally, most of the focus by the groups hurriedly formed to support a remain-in-Canada vote in the separation referendum that has been aided, abetted and forced on Albertans by the United Conservative Party of Premier Danielle Smith has focused on getting out a strong “remain” vote on Oct. 19.
While it shares other groups’ goal of ensuring a powerful “remain” message is set, Public Interest Alberta’s Together-NO! campaign has also emphasized the need to encourage Albertans to vote NO on the remaining nine misleading and divisive questions put on the ballot by the UCP.
“We knew we had a role to play in June when we realized that almost no other group was talking about all 10 questions in terms of their basic fairness, and no one else at the time had put together a ground game where conversations with people you trust were front and centre,” says Bradley Lafortune, executive-director of the 22-year-old public advocacy organization.
Since then, more than 80 organizers and 1,500 volunteers from across the province have joined the effort. “We’ve had tens of thousands of conversations, and we’ve found new friends and alliances, in cities and towns throughout Alberta,” Mr. Lafortune says. “We are all in this together. That’s why we built this campaign.”
As the clock runs down to voting day, Mr. Lafortune offers some final thoughts on strategic conditions Albertans of good will should consider before they vote, and where we will need to go from here. DJC
By Bradley Lafortune
Despite the danger it presents, there’s a lot about the response by Albertans to Danielle Smith’s referendum campaign this fall that that has filled me with pride, hope and optimism.
It’s been truly inspiring the way tens of thousands of Abertans have come together to say “NO!” to the division, fear and distraction that have shamefully been sown by our government, using our own money, putting our province, our country and our collective future at risk.
The dangers are real and the stakes are extremely high. But because of the gravity of the separation question, not enough attention has been paid throughout the lead-up to the vote in just 15 days to the impact of the nine other questions that will be on the ballot on Oct. 16.
Consider what Ms. Smith and the UCP are trying to justify with these questions, which have been framed with care and bias to get the answers the UCP wants.
Question 2, for example, asks Albertans whether access to provincially funded programs – explicitly including health care, education and other social services – should depend on citizenship, permanent residency, or some Alberta-approved immigration status.
Question 4 asks whether people with non-permanent immigration status should have to pay an as-yet-unspecified fee or premium for their families for access to health care and education. The wording is heavily spun to encourage voters to support the government’s line.
These are the actual choices that appear on the ballot!
This guarantees that the debate is not an abstract one. Ultimately, it concerns who can access public services in Alberta, under what conditions, and whether immigration status should determine access or cost. Families, children, schools, health-care providers and communities will all be impacted by whatever policies the government ultimately dreams up based on its interpretation of how much support its been given by voters responding to the question.
Here’s the thing: With the short time remaining before the vote, it is desperately important that we convey the message to voters that we must all be committed to sending a clear message to Danielle Smith and the UPC that enough is enough. That in Alberta, we stand for fairness. That we are focused on the threat that comes from south of the border, not the imaginary threat that people new to Alberta might use our health-care system if they are sick or injured, or send their kids to our schools.
How can we do that? First, we do it not only by rejecting the dangerous idea that Alberta should hold another, binding vote on separation. Then we do it by rejecting all nine of the other noxious questions composed by the government.
We all understand that if Albertans vote to hold a vote on separation, it will be interpreted around the world as popular support for separation, and be a huge step in that direction. Alberta is already feeling the economic harm from the government’s campaign, as the Calgary Chamber of Commerce has pointed out.
So here are five strategic considerations that all Albertans of good will should consider when they go to vote:
- We must say YES to Canada! We do that by voting for Option 1, “Alberta should remain a province of Canada.”
- We must vote NO to the Nine! Voting to remain in Canada is essential, but it is not enough. We must send a strong message that Alberta stands for fairness, and tell the UCP that enough is enough. Remember, Albertans are more likely to trust someone they know than this provincial government. We must continue to have real conversations at people’s doors, at events and town halls, in coffee shops, by phone and text, and in our homes to make a difference that counts.
- Silence is a position. We must all speak up for what we believe is a moral imperative: We must say that we reject scapegoating people living in Alberta who came here for the same reasons our families came here, to build a better life.
- We must all get out and vote. Many Albertans who love Canada are too confident separatism will be easy to defeat. There is a real risk of a much closer result than what Albertans expect, so let’s not let our momentum flag. Our opponents are well funded and receive help from foreign sources. Everyone should make a plan to vote!
- Move forward to what really matters. Alberta is so much better than this ugly referendum campaign that doesn’t address a single top issue of concern to Albertans. It is causing division in our families, communities, workplaces, and schools. It is a huge waste of money. The best way to turn the page is to reject separation and say NO to the Nine.
Alberta is poised to send Danielle Smith a message she’ll never forget. It may be a defeat that sends her packing, or at least is the beginning of the end of her political career.
This is the best way to end the anger and division that has been created by this government at a time all Canadians need to stand together.
If you want to help, you can join the Together NO! campaign team now at www.albertareferendum2026.org.
No to all nine! Remain in Canada!