Premier Danielle Smith answered questions and provided more information on Friday about the Alberta separatism question being added to this fall’s referendum. (Watch in video above.)
Smith revealed Thursday night there will be an additional question in an Oct. 19 referendum she already announced earlier this year.
Albertans will be asked if the province should stay in Canada or if they want a future binding referendum on separation.
“Kicking the can down the road only prolongs a very emotional and important debate,” Smith said in her televised speech.
“It’s time to have a vote, understand the will of Albertans on this subject, and move on.”
The announcement triggered a flurry of reaction across the country, ranging from bewilderment and anger to approval.
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On Friday, Smith said the question of whether the province should remain in Canada needs to be resolved in order to end uncertainty.
She told the news conference in Calgary she believes a majority of Albertans want a referendum.
“I look at 400,000 people who signed a (petition) saying that they wanted to vote to remain in Canada. And I look at 300,000 people who signed a petition saying the opposite. That’s 700,000 Albertans,” Smith said.
“That is 25 per cent of all voting age Albertans in the province. Clearly, they want to have this debate.”
Smith said she’ll accept whatever the results are.
Here are the latest Friday developments (all times are MT):
1:15 p.m.
Alberta Premier Danielle Smith says the question of whether the province should remain in Canada needs to be resolved in order to end uncertainty.
She tells a news conference in Calgary that she believes a majority of Albertans want a referendum.
She also says she’ll accept whatever the results are.
1 p.m.
B.C. Premier David Eby’s office says his comments from before Alberta’s referendum announcement stand — that Canada needs to pull together.
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Eby said Thursday that Canadians need to fight for their country every day.
He said if we just let things ride, there’s “no shortage of people who want to take it away from us.”
Eby has also said Canada can’t work if “separatist premiers” get all the attention from the federal government.
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12:45 p.m.
The Chiefs of Treaty 8 First Nations say they’ll be writing to the prime minister to ask that Alberta’s referendum question on separation be reviewed to see if it complies with federal legislation.
They say it’s not just a question for Albertans but for all Canadians.
Grand Chief Trevor Mercredi says Treaty 8 was entered into with the Crown long before Alberta became a province and that such sacred agreements can’t be ignored or politically worked around.
12:30 p.m.
Former Alberta premier Jason Kenney and former federal cabinet minister Monte Solberg have joined forces to keep Alberta in Canada.
The former conservative politicians are part of a group called Vote to Stay and are calling on people to show up for the Oct. 19 referendum.
They say events will be held over the coming months to inspire Albertans to stick with Canada.
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11:50 a.m.
Canadian Olympic speedskater Catriona le May Doan joined Alberta Opposition Leader Naheed Nenshi to support federalism at a Calgary news conference.
Le May Doan says she’s seen Canadians across different communities unite under the emblem of the maple leaf.
She says every Canadian has a role to play in standing up for the country, regardless of their celebrity status.
11:45 a.m.
The head of the Canadian Chamber of Commerce says uncertainty around Alberta’s future role in the country brings risks for investor confidence, economic growth and Canada’s global competitiveness at “exactly the wrong time.”
Candace Laing says in a statement that Canada has already been contending with economic costs beyond its control while also recognizing the need to remove self-imposed barriers.
She says legitimate concerns are being raised in Alberta, but Canada’s democratic system is strong enough to address them constructively.
11:40 a.m.
Allan Adam, chief of the Athabasca Chipewyan First Nation, says Premier Danielle Smith’s new referendum question is confusing, but he’s ultimately considering it a win.
Adam says putting off a binding vote on separation is the direct result of last week’s court ruling that he and other First Nations spurred, which saw a judge throw out a separatist referendum petition.
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He says Smith’s move means separatists have to go back to the drawing board to get their question on a ballot, but ultimately he thinks they’re wasting their time and money.
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11:30 a.m.
Alberta Opposition NDP Leader Naheed Nenshi has told a crowd in Calgary that Premier Danielle Smith says she supports federalism, but won’t lift a finger to keep the country together.
Nenshi says Smith has expressed empathy and sympathy for separatists but not for the rest of Albertans.
He says Smith’s referendum in October will be economically destabilizing and socially divisive, and he pledges to spend the summer defending Confederation.
11 a.m.
Federal Conservative Leader Pierre Poilievre says Albertans need to be given the same powers as those in Quebec, so they can feel that they’re in charge of their own destiny in Canada.
Speaking at a news conference in Surrey, B.C., Poilievre says he’ll continue to fight for a united Canada.
He says his party will be reaching out to Albertans in every corner of the province so they understand that they can have a better future in the country.
10:45 a.m.
Ontario Premier Doug Ford says putting the question of separation to a vote is something he’d never do but that he’s not in Smith’s shoes.
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Ford says he thinks Smith is trying to maintain support for her leadership of the United Conservative Party.
He says any vote on separation in Alberta would never win and, if it does, it would lead to disaster.
10:30 a.m.
Rob Anderson, the chief of staff for Alberta Premier Danielle Smith, says many wanted to see her directly put a binding separation question on the ballot this fall.
But he says it just isn’t possible.
Anderson says in a social media post that he thinks a binding question would have been struck down by the courts within weeks, because of the ongoing legal challenge involving a separatist petition and First Nations
He says holding a referendum on maybe having a future referendum still gives Albertans a chance to have their say and decide whether it’s a path they want to go down.
9 a.m.
Calgary Mayor Jeromy Farkas says Alberta calling a vote on whether to have a vote on separation shows a ridiculous lack of provincial leadership.
He says separation uncertainty is costing the city jobs.
He says Alberta should be focused on the real work of building homes, improving public safety, fixing infrastructure, growing the economy and making life better.
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7:30 a.m.
Prime Minister Mark Carney briefly addressed the thorny issue of Alberta’s separatist movement in the form of a metaphor this morning — likening Canada to the Parliament buildings: currently under renovation.
Carney, while on a construction site tour of the Library of Parliament, didn’t directly mention Alberta’s plan to hold a vote on whether to have a binding referendum on separation.
He listed contributions made by Albertans to the country and said Canada is currently working the “spirit of co-operative federalism,” with Alberta at the centre of that work.
With files from Karen Bartko, Global News