EDMONTON — One of Premier Danielle Smith's lead advisors has defended Alberta's upcoming immigration referendum questions, saying that Albertans have the right to vote on more provincial control over the issue and on having a waiting period before temporary immigrants can access social services. The premier's office executive director, Bruce McAllister, drew attention on social media over the weekend after reacting to a video of German politician Alice Weidel saying the country is "de facto bankrupt," due in part to welfare promises, mass immigration, and policies raising energy costs. "Finally someone on a major stage saying it out loud instead of hiding behind slogans," wrote McAllister in response to the video. "Shout it from the rooftops please Alice! You can’t run a welfare state, bring in millions who need support, and keep energy prices this high without the books blowing up.""It’s also tearing up the social fabric and native culture. People are waking up. Now watch the mainstream media ignore all of it - while twisting themselves into pretzels labelling her alt-right anyway." .McAllister's comments drew the attention of individuals online, as critics of Smith's referendum often argue it targets immigrants and blames them for Alberta's financial struggles. Political scientist Duane Bratt responded to the post and said: "For those wondering why Alberta is having a series of anti-immigration referendum questions." This triggered a reaction from McAllister, who said Bratt was taking the "ugliest possible reading" and pushing some "some Laurentian talking points as if he just discovered them." "He’s entitled to his opinion, of course, but labelling these referendum questions 'anti-immigrant' is lazy even by his standards," McAllister wrote. "Albertans have every right to weigh in on whether we want more control over the numbers, economic migrants first, and a wait before temporary residents tap the same health, education and social programs as citizens and permanent residents." He went on to write that those voting include generations of individuals who have built Alberta, and the "many respectful, hardworking, and thoughtful immigrants who came here the right way." "That’s not hate," McAllister wrote. "That’s how you keep a welfare state from buckling." .Alberta's referendum includes five questions about immigration, including whether the UCP should pursue more provincial control over immigration and whether Albertans believe temporary residents should either live in Alberta for 12 months or pay a fee to access social services.Smith announced the referendum shortly before announcing Alberta's initially projected $9.4 billion deficit in Budget 2026. She placed partial blame for the deficit on a decade of poor federal immigration policies that flooded Alberta and overwhelmed social services."The fact is, Alberta taxpayers can no longer be asked to continue to subsidize the entire country through equalization and federal transfers, permit the federal government to flood our borders with new arrivals, and then give free access to our most-generous-in-the-country social programs to anyone who moves here," said Smith in February when announcing the referendum..Polls suggest most Albertans support Smith's proposed immigration changes. Some critics of the proposed changes even admit that immigration levels under former Prime Minister Justin Trudeau got out of hand, but they argue that Smith's options are not an appropriate response. Smith has said the referendum is not about targeting immigrants. It is about reprioritizing policies towards skilled economic immigrants who add to Alberta's workforce, and treating temporary residents as temporary residents. "Well, I mean, this is what we're talking about, is making sure the services are prioritized to the people who have registered a permanent stake in our country and our province," Smith said in March. "That's Canadian citizens and permanent residents, and temporary individuals should be treated as temporary and tourists."
