9 To 5 Canada

Updated: 20 October 2026, 6:52 p.m. EDT (Toronto) Prime Minister Mark Carney said Tuesday that Ottawa and the provinces can work toward sustainable immigration levels without changing the Constitution, following Alberta’s referendum on immigration powers. Speaking to reporters on Parliament Hill in Ottawa on 20 October, Carney said future immigration policy should be developed with the provinces. CTV News reported his response to questions about Monday’s vote. Carney said he had spoken with Alberta Premier Danielle Smith that morning. Their discussion began with support for people affected by the deadly Wainwright military-base fire before turning to the referendum and shared priorities, including immigration. CPAC’s recording of the press appearance confirms that Carney addressed both the unity vote and the other referendum questions. The remarks set out his proposed approach to federal-provincial co-operation; they did not announce a transfer of immigration powers or new eligibilit...

Updated: 20 October 2026, 11:49 a.m. EDT (Toronto) Alberta’s unofficial referendum count showed majority support on Tuesday morning for giving the provincial government greater control over immigration, as counting continued after Monday’s vote. At the 9:46 a.m. MDT update on 20 October, Elections Alberta recorded 740,455 Yes votes and 598,066 No votes on Question 1. That put support at about 55.3 per cent of the 1,338,521 valid votes counted for that question. The proposal asks whether Alberta should take increased control over immigration to reduce it to more sustainable levels, prioritise economic migration and give Albertans first priority for new employment opportunities. The figures are an interim count of responses to that proposal, rather than an announcement of new immigration rules. Global News reported that margins on several immigration and constitutional questions were much narrower than the vote against pursuing a future separation referendum. Its Tuesday report also pu...