By Don Newman

May 23, 2026

Alberta Premier Danielle Smith has found a new way to avoid putting a direct question about leaving Canada on a referendum ballot this fall.

Instead, Albertans will be asked to cast a ballot on whether they want to remain as a province of Canada or have the provincial government start the process toward a binding independence referendum.

Here’s the precise wording: “Should Alberta remain a province of Canada or should the Government of Alberta commence the legal process required under the Canadian Constitution to hold a binding provincial referendum on whether or not Alberta should separate from Canada?”

Smith revealed this latest attempt to square the circle on a controversial and divisive issue that has threatened her government and her leadership of the United Conservative Party in a 14-minute pre-recorded address on Thursday night.

The Premier also gave her most robust support to date for Alberta remaining in Canada. Opponents of separation have accused her of abetting the separatists when her government dramatically reduced the number of signatures required to put a question on leaving Canada on the referendum ballot this fall and lengthened the time over which those signatures could be collected.

But on Thursday night, Smith was direct.

“I support Alberta remaining in Canada. And that is the position of the government and the caucus,” she said.

While as Premier she can commit the government to the course of staying in Canada, it is not clear that everyone in her caucus agrees. And it is certainly not the position of all the members of the UCP.

The reason Smith has appeared to court those wanting a separation referendum is that while some polls have shown that fewer than 30% of Albertans want to leave Canada, more than 50% of UCP members do.

In a volatile party created by a merger of the Progressive Conservative Party and the further right-wing Wildrose Party, UCP membership can be unpredictable. Its composition is further complicated by members of the separatist movement buying memberships and adding their voices to the political pressure on the Premier. Smith’s needle-threading approach is her latest attempt to buy peace in the party.

For the moment, Smith and her government seem to have successfully managed the referendum issue.

She has also underlined that any departure would have to be done legally and according to the federal Clarity Act, which sets out requirements of a clear referendum question receiving a clear majority of support without defining what exactly those clear requirements entail, and leaving it to the federal Parliament to decide.

Obviously, there is no such thing as a quickie divorce for any province wanting to leave Canada. The proposal outlined by Smith comes at a time when both sides have been arguing about the question they wanted on the referendum ballot in October.

The group that has been collecting signatures to keep the country together wanted the question phrased to seek agreement that Alberta should remain in Canada. The separatists wanted the question the other way around; should Alberta become an independent country?

The question revealed by Smith should make the remain-in-Canada group happy. The separatists not so much, although they do get their issue indirectly asked when it seemed likely they would be kept off the referendum ballot altogether.

Court of King’s Bench Justice Shaina Leonard ruled on May 13th that the Alberta government failed to meet its duty to consult First Nations before allowing a process that could affect treaty rights.

The separatists are appealing the court ruling and so is the Alberta government. At the time, the government decision was seen as another Smith sop to those trying to break up the country.

But on Thursday, the Premier said that court challenges to the original ruling would not be decided in time for the referendum deadline and the question she is asking will cover the issues involved.

The Premier and her advisers hope her compromise question will tamp down the controversy and noise surrounding the referendum.

It may, but there is now an RCMP investigation in Alberta into how a separatist group known as the Centurion Project ended up with government voters lists of the names, addresses and other personal information of everyone in the province who has registered to vote, even if they didn’t cast a ballot.

The Centurion Project is a third-party advocacy group and not entitled to the voters list. However, the Republican Party of Alberta is a registered political party and entitled to the voters’ lists.

Investigators are now trying to find out if the list the party had legitimately ended up with the Centurion Group. There is an implication that having the list may have aided the group in signing up people to get a question on leaving Canada on the referendum ballot.

However that investigation turns out, it could be embarrassing for some people and even lead to criminal charges. But for the moment, Smith and her government seem to have successfully managed the referendum issue.

Sometimes, it seems, a circle can be squared.

Policy Columnist Don Newman is an Officer of the Order of Canada, and a lifetime member and a past president of the Canadian Parliamentary Press Gallery.