A few short years ago, before she had proposed a new set of referendum questions on Thursday aimed at curbing rapid population growth, Premier Danielle Smith was actively courting newcomers to the province. Indeed, with the private sector facing a shortage of skilled workers, the premier could hardly bring in enough people to satisfy her appetite.
Smith’s latest referendum push, then, seems like a dramatic shift in policy. Instead, the premier told reporters on Friday, her change in tone is the result of a stark mismatch between Alberta’s efforts to recruit skilled workers and changes to Canada’s immigration system made under former prime minister Justin Trudeau.
CBC's Janyce McGregor admits that Alberta is using the Quebec playbook to seek similar provincial control over immigration "Yeah, it seems like that could be what they're angling for here, using tactics similar to what we've seen used in Quebec,"
But can anyone ever recall… pic.twitter.com/dYQ1pUq1QG
— cbcwatcher (@cbcwatcher) February 20, 2026
