Saskatchewan Premier Scott Moe says Alberta’s referendum underscores the need for greater provincial involvement in immigration, while urging Ottawa to move faster on efforts to attract investment.Discussing the results, Moe said eight of the nine questions covering immigration and constitutional changes had received support, although the margins were not significant.The October 19 Alberta referendum included questions on increasing provincial immigration control and pursuing constitutional amendments, including abolishing the Senate.Moe said provinces should play a larger role in shaping Canada’s immigration system, with a focus on economic needs.“I've said, for one, that any time we're talking about immigration across Canada and Saskatchewan, it should very much be focused on economic immigration,” Moe told reporters.He said provincial priorities vary, pointing to differences between Saskatchewan and Alberta and those of Atlantic Canada..Asked whether Saskatchewan could hold a similar referendum, Moe said his government had not discussed it.“No, we haven't had those discussions,” said Moe.Moe also said Saskatchewan had not taken a position supporting Senate abolition, although he welcomed discussion about changing the institution.“And, you know, the Senate does have a role. We haven't been in a position of abolishing the Senate. Senate reform is never a bad discussion for us to have as Canadians, certainly.”On federal efforts to attract investment to Alberta, Moe described recent discussions and decisions as positive and suggested voters had recognized those efforts.“All of those discussions have come about to attract investment into the Alberta economy. Those are positives.”He said the referendum reflected that progress, but urged Ottawa to maintain the momentum and accelerate its efforts to attract investment.Moe’s message to federal officials was that “we need to keep that and we need to go further, and we need to go quicker.”
