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Lawn signs line the yard of a house in the community of Silver Springs in Calgary on Monday.LEAH HENNEL/The Globe and Mail
10/19/26 12:05
Opinion: Canada is strong, but it will be forever altered by Alberta’s separation referendum
– Tyler Dawson
Well, here we are. On the precipice of the unthinkable. After more than a year of Canada undergoing patriotic convulsions that would have been inconceivable at any point in recent memory, Albertans are being asked to vote on Monday about whether their province should continue to be part of Canada, or take further steps toward becoming an independent country.
Whatever the outcome, Alberta – and by extension Canada – will be permanently altered.
For 50-odd years, there has only been one major threat to Canada’s national fabric: Quebec. It was always that province, with its distinct language, culture and, at one point, a near-unifying faith, that threatened the Canadian experiment most distinctly. The other regional grievances that popped up – Alberta’s fury over the national energy program, the kneecapping of Atlantic Canada’s fisheries – were sideshows, consequential though they were, to the ultimate threat to national stability.
But much has changed in the past decade, and especially in the past few years.
Read the full column here.
10/19/26 11:41
43% of eligible voters cast ballots before Monday, Elections Alberta data show
– Matthew Scace
Multiple polls of Albertans have shown respondents are much more likely to say they prefer to remain in Canada, but separatists mounted a vocal campaign as they criss-crossed the province holding town halls and other events.
The turnout for advanced and mail-in ballots has been significant. Elections Alberta data show about 43 per cent of eligible voters had cast ballots before Monday. The most recent referendum in the province in 2021, which asked whether the equalization system should be cancelled and if the province should stop switching between standard and daylight saving time, had an overall turnout of just 39 per cent.
10/19/26 11:22
What about Alberta’s nine other referendum questions?
– Matthew Scace
Voters will face 10 questions. The last one – on whether Alberta should remain in Canada or trigger a secession vote – has dominated headlines and consumed the debate around the vote.
But what about the nine other referendum questions? Topics including migrants’ access to social programs, judicial appointments and the future of the Senate, could also lead to consequential changes in the province or even a push to reopen the Constitution. Voters are declaring whether they support the proposals by checking one of two boxes: yes or no.
If passed, four of them would require reopening Canada’s Constitution and could reshape the relationship between Ottawa and the provinces.
Ahead of the Oct. 19 referendum, Alberta Premier Danielle Smith has spent $4-million on government advertising focused mostly on the first nine questions. She says to implement her political agenda, she needs direct input from the electorate. Her detractors, meanwhile, have argued the referendum is harmful. They say its questions stoke anti-immigration rhetoric and feed oxygen to the province’s separatist fire.
Here’s what to know about the nine other questions.
10/19/26 11:10
Listen: The history of Alberta separatism
– Globe staff
Monday is the referendum in Alberta, where Albertans will cast their vote either to remain part of Canada or start the process to hold another referendum to leave (among other ballot questions). But this issue stretches far beyond the past few years – it goes back to before Alberta was a province of Canada.
In the latest episode of The Decibel podcast, host Menaka Raman-Wilms goes through the history of the Alberta separatist movement with opinion editor Tyler Dawson who’s based in Edmonton, and the author of The Republic of Alberta: An Idea That Won’t Go Away.
10/19/26 11:00
Polls in Alberta are open
– Globe staff
Polls are now open across Alberta from 9 a.m. to 8 p.m. MT. To cast a ballot, voters must be a Canadian citizen, over 18 and a resident of Alberta.
More than 1.3 million Albertans have already cast ballots by mail or in advance polls. The separation question is one of 10 on the ballot, as the first nine focus on immigration and Constitutional reform.
The vote caps months of rallies, speeches and analyses from both sides.
10/19/26 11:00
What voters need to know
– The Canadian Press
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Polling stations are open until 9 p.m. MT.James Maclennan/The Canadian Press
When do polls open?
More than 1,400 polling stations will be open Monday from 9 a.m. to 8 p.m. MT.
What identification is needed?
You should have gotten a “where to vote” card in the mail ahead of time if you’re registered. Otherwise, visit Elections Alberta’s website to find out where to vote.
You’ll need one government-issued ID with your correct name, current address and photo, such as a driver’s licence. You can use two pieces of ID that both have your full name, with one showing your current address.
There are 50 forms of acceptable ID listed on Elections Alberta’s website that can be one of those two pieces, from a library card or a hunting licence to a bank statement or vehicle registration.
Elections Alberta says it will accept expired forms of ID, including a certificate of Indian Status Card, provided it still has the correct name.
Another option, in special circumstances, is to bring an attestation form signed by an authorized person such as a First Nation band manager or a student housing staffer.
What if I’m not registered to vote?
A voting officer will ask you to sign a declaration that confirms your eligibility – including that you are a Canadian citizen, at least 18 years old and that you normally reside in Alberta.
How many ballots are there?
There are 10 ballots, in different colours for easy identification. You can mark some of them, all of them or none. Your choice.
The ballots go into separate boxes to make it easier to count them and to lessen the chances of a mistake spoiling one long ballot.
10/19/26 11:00
Separatists, federalists make final push ahead of vote
– Matthew Scace
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A supporter cheers on during a speech at a pro-Canada rally in Edmonton on Sunday.Timon Johnson/The Canadian Press
Albertans vote Monday on whether to remain in Canada or begin the process of pursuing separation, the culmination of a campaign that has divided the province and transfixed the country.
The separatist and federalist camps made their final pitches in duelling rallies at the Alberta legislature in Edmonton over the weekend, part of a last-minute push that also saw Prime Minister Mark Carney make several stops in the province late last week urging Albertans to vote to remain in Canada.
At the federalist event on Sunday, leader Gil McGowan led the crowd in a moment of silence for victims and first responders at Alberta’s Canadian Forces Base Wainwright, where a fire had killed four service members the night before.
He said fellow Canadians responded to the call for help when it came.
“That’s why we are stronger together in one Canadian federation,” Mr. McGowan said to cheers and applause.
A day earlier, more than a thousand people gathered on the legislature grounds, many dressed in blue and waving Alberta flags, to cap off the separatist campaign.
Supporters were bused in from across the province to hear speeches from leaders imploring people to get out and vote. Lawyer Keith Wilson, one of several prominent voices who have emerged in the campaign, predicted that whatever happens on Monday, the separatist movement is here to stay.
“We’re going to get stronger. We’re going to get smarter. We’re going to get more clear,” he said.
Read the full story here.