With Alberta's preliminary referendum count favoring greater provincial control over immigration, Canadian Prime Minister Mark Carney called for cooperation with provinces as Ottawa prepares its next national immigration plan.
The Oct. 19 ballot asked whether Alberta should have more authority to reduce immigration, prioritize economic migration and give Albertans first priority for new jobs. Other questions proposed limits on provincially funded programs and a 12-month Alberta residence requirement for all individuals with non-permanent legal immigration status before they could qualify for provincially funded social support. Canadian citizens and permanent residents would continue to qualify under existing rules.
Another proposal would allow fees for health care and education used by people with non-permanent immigration status living in Alberta and their families. The ballot specified no amount. All 10 referendum questions were nonbinding, and the vote itself changed no immigration rules or fees.
Carney told reporters Oct. 20 that Ottawa should work with provincial governments on what comes next. Federal and provincial immigration ministers had already been discussing regional labor needs while preparing the 2027–2029 Immigration Levels Plan, according to Immigration, Refugees and Citizenship Canada (IRCC).
IRCC's current plan targets 385,000 new temporary resident arrivals nationwide in 2026 and 370,000 in each of 2027 and 2028. It also targets 380,000 permanent resident admissions in each of those three years. Those figures are national targets, not Alberta allocations.
Alberta Premier Danielle Smith said Oct. 20 that early results appeared to support a larger provincial role in immigration. She linked the proposals to population growth and employment opportunities, and said her government would pursue reforms backed by voters in the coming months and years.
On the separate question of Alberta's place in Canada, Elections Alberta's unofficial results showed roughly three-quarters of votes counted as of Oct. 20 favored remaining a province. The alternative called on the government to begin the legal process toward a later binding referendum on separation. Smith said she would not hold another referendum on that issue while she remains premier.
Elections Alberta plans to announce official results for all 10 questions Oct. 29.
