The immigration questions propose that the province take more control over immigration<\/a> from the federal government, limiting non-permanent residents\u2019 eligibility<\/a> to public and social services, and ask if voters should be required to show proof of citizenship<\/a> in order to vote in a provincial election.<\/p>\n The UCP government is campaigning for Albertans to vote \u201cyes\u201d to the five immigration-related questions, saying\u00a0rapid population growth has put pressure on the health care and education systems.<\/p>\n On its referendum website<\/a>, the province says it\u2019s gauging feedback on immigration questions 2-4 \u201cto make our services more sustainable, accessible and affordable.\u201d<\/p>\n But the former premiers worry the resulting policies could cause \u201ceconomic harm.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cThe key risk we all wish to highlight is that if the measures are adopted, each could have harmful and unintended effects. Mainly, Alberta will immediately be perceived as a less attractive place for precisely the talent we already need,\u201d the former premiers wrote.<\/p>\n For Stelmach, who was Alberta’s first premier of Ukrainian descent, the questions also raise a humanitarian issue \u2014 and feel personal.<\/p>\n \u201cI’m grandson of an immigrant and thankfully Canada opened up their arms to immigrants and as a result, I’m here,\u201d Stelmach said, in an interview with CBC News. \u201cOtherwise I don’t know what would have happened to our family.\u201d<\/p>\n A photograph from 2022 shows former Alberta premier Ed Stelmach standing with Thomas Lukaszuk, former Alberta deputy premier, among aid items their campaign collected for Ukraine. (Submitted by Thomas Lukaszuk)<\/p>\n The former premier, who has rarely spoken on politics since leaving office in 2011, said he felt compelled to speak out on the immigration-related questions because they \u201creally hit home.\u201d<\/p>\n Stelmach recalled a vivid memory, witnessing newcomers coming off an aircraft in Edmonton, looking to make a new home in Alberta. He helped welcome dozens of Ukrainian refugees<\/a> in 2022, after Russia began its full-scale invasion of Ukraine in February that year.<\/p>\n \u201cJust to look at the faces of the children and the parents and thinking, well, if it wasn’t for us, for Alberta, Canada, really opening their doors, you know, what would happen?\u201d he said.<\/p>\n Former premiers call out \u2018confusing, contradictory questions\u2019<\/p>\n The UCP government has expressed concern about the impact of significant migration to the province in recent years.\u00a0<\/p>\n Alberta\u2019s population increased by roughly 600,000<\/a> in the five-year period from July 2021 to July 2026, two-thirds of which came from international migration.\u00a0<\/p>\n The rate of migration has slowed since Ottawa enacted several major policies aimed at doing so, including lowering caps on international students and temporary residents.<\/p>\n Still, the province has said Ottawa\u2019s \u201cunsustainable\u201d immigration policies have had a negative impact on Alberta\u2019s ability to fund and deliver social services like health care and education, “directly impacting Albertans’ access to these services and costing taxpayers billions of dollars.”<\/p>\n After announcing the referendum questions in February, Premier Danielle Smith said that \u201ctemporary individuals should be treated as that: temporary and tourists.\u201d<\/p>\n But the former premiers say \u201cthe taxes immigrants pay fund critical health and social services,\u201d as just one of their contributions.<\/p>\n \u201cAlthough there are reasonable debates to be had on immigration policy, this is not the right forum,\u201d they write. \u201cThese five propositions take complex policy issues and confound them into confusing, contradictory questions that are hard to decipher.\u201d<\/p>\n In an emailed statement to CBC News, the premier’s press secretary said, “The questions on immigration address the current unsustainable immigration levels in Canada that are putting real pressures on critical public services, and reflect feedback we heard from Albertans during the Alberta Next townhalls.”<\/p>\n “We support Alberta taking more control over immigration to ensure it is sustainable, prioritizes economic migrants, puts Albertans first for jobs in their communities, and that our social services serve Albertans first. <\/p>\n “Newcomers have always played an important role in our province\u2019s success, and that won\u2019t change.”<\/p>\n The economic case for immigrants<\/p>\n \u201cBy nearly every economic measure, immigrants are a boon to Alberta\u2019s economy,\u201d the former premiers said in the op-ed, citing recent economic analysis<\/a> from the Calgary Chamber of Commerce which shows the majority of Alberta businesses struggle with labour shortages.<\/p>\n![](\"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/10\/1792012693_677_default.jpg\")
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