Prime Minister Mark Carney on Tuesday signalled he will take concerns over high levels of immigration into consideration, a day after over 75% of those who participated in the referendum in the western province of Alberta voted to remain part of Canada.
Five of the questions related to immigration, inserted by the provincial government, which had announced the referendum eight months earlier. “We are moving to a more sustainable pace of immigration. “They chose unity, to build together, and to take care of each other. Now, we have an opportunity to build on that progress.
In a post on X, Carney said, “Over the past 18 months, our governments have worked together to deliver on what matters most to Albertans.
He said Albertans made a clear choice. Where we go from here needs to be established in cooperation with the provinces, and that is very much the spirit of one of the questions in the referendum,” he said in Ottawa on Tuesday morning.
The results came as the Liberal Party government is looking at potentially increasing immigration levels as part of a plan to be announced next month. The main question asked whether Alberta would remain a province of Canada or if the provincial government would commence the process under the Constitution to hold a binding referendum on separation. Voters agreed that Alberta should take increased control over immigration to decrease it to more sustainable levels, prioritising economic migration and giving Albertans priority on new employment opportunities. A question related to supporting the provincial government introducing a law mandating that only Canadian citizens, permanent residents, and individuals with an Alberta-approved immigration status be eligible for provincially funded programmes, such as health care, education, and other social services.
Over 75% chose the first option with over 90% of votes counted by Tuesday night. Immigration numbers, particularly for temporary residents including international students and workers, decreased due to public backlash over the surge in newcomers into the country.
“I am also convinced that the Federal Government is no longer targeting and trying to phase out and eliminate Alberta’s largest economic sectors as they attempted to do under the previous Prime Minister,” she said, referring to Carney’s predecessor Justin Trudeau, who had an antagonistic attitude towards its resource sector. The Alberta referendum was held on Monday.
