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Alberta Premier Danielle Smith announced Thursday that the province will hold a referendum on provincial immigration control and constitutional amendments in October 2026.
The provincial referendum will ask Albertan voters six questions. In terms of policy issues, voters will indicate their stances on increased provincial control over immigration to prioritize economic migration; limiting provincial social services to citizens, permanent residents, and Alberta-approved immigrants; requiring non-permanent residents to stay in Alberta for more than 12 months before having access to provincial social services; charging a premium to non-permanent residents for their use of provincial social services; and requiring voters to present proof of citizenship to vote in a provincial election.
Albertans will also indicate their stances on amending the constitution, including allowing the provincial government to select provincial justices; abolishing the federal Senate; allowing provinces to opt out of federal social services programs; and prioritizing provincial laws over federal laws in matters under provincial or shared jurisdictions.
Per the Constitution Act 1982, a constitutional amendment must be supported by the House of Commons, the Senate, and at least seven provinces that collectively represent more than half of the Canadian population. If Albertans vote in favor of the amendments, the Alberta government must still leverage support from other provinces to amend the Constitution.
Premier Smith’s previous move to negotiate with the federal government over stronger autonomy over the provincial judicial selection process sparked concerns about compromising judicial independence. While Smith suggested that this could better reflect the values of Albertans, the Canadian Bar Association argued that the non-partisan appointment process, vested in federal jurisdiction by Section 96 of the Constitution Act 1867, is fundamental to preserving judicial independence.
The Alberta chief justices at all three levels of courts also issued a rare statement to defend judicial independence earlier in January.
Under Section 95 of the Constitution Act 1867, the federal and provincial governments enjoy concurrent jurisdiction over immigration as long as provincial laws do not contradict federal laws. In a 2007 agreement, the governments decided that the federal government would decide the selection criteria for foreign nationals, and the Alberta government could nominate applicants for immigrant visas according to the province’s economic needs.
The Supreme Court of Canada has endorsed cooperative federalism, facilitating cooperation between federal and provincial governments. The court previously approved a pan-Canadian securities regulation and national egg marketing plan. Intergovernmental cooperation is also one of the guiding principles in the Canadian Environmental Protection Act 1999.
According to Premier Smith, the province is facing a drop in gas prices and an influx of immigrants concurrently. The reduction in royalty revenues and the increase in costs for social services have led to a budget deficit in the coming fiscal year. While Alberta’s population has grown significantly since 2022, the net migration in Alberta has been plummeting since July 2023. According to Associate Professor Lori Williams at Mount Royal University, blaming the affordability crisis on immigrants is inaccurate and may escalate racial tensions.
The post Alberta to hold referendum on provincial immigration control and constitutional amendments appeared first on JURIST - News.
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The provincial referendum will ask Albertan voters six questions. In terms of policy issues, voters will indicate their stances on increased provincial control over immigration to prioritize economic migration; limiting provincial social services to citizens, permanent residents, and Alberta-approved immigrants; requiring non-permanent residents to stay in Alberta for more than 12 months before having access to provincial social services; charging a premium to non-permanent residents for their use of provincial social services; and requiring voters to present proof of citizenship to vote in a provincial election.
Albertans will also indicate their stances on amending the constitution, including allowing the provincial government to select provincial justices; abolishing the federal Senate; allowing provinces to opt out of federal social services programs; and prioritizing provincial laws over federal laws in matters under provincial or shared jurisdictions.
Per the Constitution Act 1982, a constitutional amendment must be supported by the House of Commons, the Senate, and at least seven provinces that collectively represent more than half of the Canadian population. If Albertans vote in favor of the amendments, the Alberta government must still leverage support from other provinces to amend the Constitution.
Premier Smith’s previous move to negotiate with the federal government over stronger autonomy over the provincial judicial selection process sparked concerns about compromising judicial independence. While Smith suggested that this could better reflect the values of Albertans, the Canadian Bar Association argued that the non-partisan appointment process, vested in federal jurisdiction by Section 96 of the Constitution Act 1867, is fundamental to preserving judicial independence.
The Alberta chief justices at all three levels of courts also issued a rare statement to defend judicial independence earlier in January.
Under Section 95 of the Constitution Act 1867, the federal and provincial governments enjoy concurrent jurisdiction over immigration as long as provincial laws do not contradict federal laws. In a 2007 agreement, the governments decided that the federal government would decide the selection criteria for foreign nationals, and the Alberta government could nominate applicants for immigrant visas according to the province’s economic needs.
The Supreme Court of Canada has endorsed cooperative federalism, facilitating cooperation between federal and provincial governments. The court previously approved a pan-Canadian securities regulation and national egg marketing plan. Intergovernmental cooperation is also one of the guiding principles in the Canadian Environmental Protection Act 1999.
According to Premier Smith, the province is facing a drop in gas prices and an influx of immigrants concurrently. The reduction in royalty revenues and the increase in costs for social services have led to a budget deficit in the coming fiscal year. While Alberta’s population has grown significantly since 2022, the net migration in Alberta has been plummeting since July 2023. According to Associate Professor Lori Williams at Mount Royal University, blaming the affordability crisis on immigrants is inaccurate and may escalate racial tensions.
The post Alberta to hold referendum on provincial immigration control and constitutional amendments appeared first on JURIST - News.
Continue reading...
Note: We don't have any responsibilities about this news. Its been posted here by Feed Reader and we had no controls and checking on it. And because News posted here will be deleted automatically after 21 days, threads are closed so that no one spend time to post and discuss here. You can always check the source and discuss in their site.