Albertans voted to rein in immigration and scrap the Senate. Kris Sims of the CTF on what happens next
Separation failed, but voters backed tighter rules on temporary residents and proof of citizenship to vote.
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On Monday, Albertans voted on nine referendum questions, plus the big one on separation. Separation lost by a wide margin. But the questions on immigration and the Senate passed, and those deserve more attention than they're getting.
Albertans said yes to the province taking more control over immigration. They said yes to making temporary residents live here for a year before collecting provincial social supports, and to charging them fees for health care and schools. They voted to require proof of citizenship to vote in provincial elections, with the strongest result of the night.
Premier Danielle Smith says Alberta's roughly 246,000 temporary residents cost the province about $1 billion a year in health care and education, against about $150 million in revenue. Around 48,000 of their children are enrolled in Alberta schools.
Albertans also voted to work with other provinces to abolish the unelected Senate.
Kris Sims, Alberta director of the Canadian Taxpayers Federation, has been campaigning for exactly that. She points out that nobody gets to vote for senators, that the Senate has cost taxpayers more than $1 billion over the past decade, and that 30 years of reform attempts have gone nowhere.
Kris joins me to sort out what happens next. Which of these can the premier act on right away, which need Ottawa or other provinces at the table, and how do Albertans make sure the results turn into law?
GUEST: Kris Sims, Alberta director, Canadian Taxpayers Federation
