Calgary Community to Discuss Alberta Referendum at Non-Partisan Information Session

Canadian Muslims for Peace and Justice (CMPJ) is hosting a community information session in Calgary on Tuesday evening to discuss Alberta’s upcoming referendum, bringing together community members for an open discussion about the province’s constitutional relationship with Canada and the questions Albertans will face at the ballot box.

The session is scheduled for September 29 from 7 to 9 p.m. at Mirchi Restaurant, 76 Westwinds Crescent NE, Calgary, with doors opening at 6:30 p.m. The event is being presented as a respectful, non-partisan forum where participants can hear different perspectives, ask questions and learn more about the referendum and voting process.

The featured speaker is The Honourable Thomas Lukaszuk, former Deputy Premier of Alberta. Lukaszuk has previously been involved in Alberta politics and is listed on Elections Alberta’s financial disclosure records as the proponent of the 2025 Alberta Forever Canada citizen initiative.

CMPJ is chaired by Dr. Abdul Rahman, while Amber Rehman serves as the organization’s General Secretary. The organization’s event information describes the session as an opportunity to learn about the referendum questions, hear different perspectives and participate in a question-and-answer session.

The meeting comes just weeks before Albertans vote in the province-wide referendum scheduled for October 19, 2026. Elections Alberta says Question 10 asks voters to choose between Alberta remaining a province of Canada and the Alberta government commencing the legal process required under the Canadian Constitution to hold a future binding provincial referendum on whether Alberta should separate from Canada.

Importantly, Question 10 does not itself make Alberta an independent country. Elections Alberta states that the result of Question 10 is non-binding. If the second option receives the support of voters, it would initiate a legal and constitutional process toward a subsequent binding referendum on separation.

The issue of Alberta separation has emerged from a much longer history of debate over provincial autonomy and Alberta’s relationship with the federal government.

One of the most significant historical events was the federal government’s National Energy Program, introduced in 1980 under Prime Minister Pierre Trudeau. Alberta’s economy was heavily dependent on oil and natural gas, and the federal energy policies became a major source of tension between Ottawa and Edmonton. The dispute contributed to a broader sense of western alienation and helped fuel political support for greater provincial control over natural resources and economic policy.

The energy dispute eventually became one of the defining political conflicts between Alberta and the federal government. After the Progressive Conservative government under Brian Mulroney came to power federally in 1984, the National Energy Program was dismantled and replaced by the Western Accord in 1985. Nevertheless, debates about resource revenues, federal taxation, provincial jurisdiction and Alberta’s role within Confederation continued.

Separatist politics also gained visibility in Alberta during the early 1980s. In 1982, Western Canada Concept candidate Gordon Kesler won a provincial by-election in Olds-Didsbury, drawing national attention to the western independence movement. The party subsequently contested the provincial election, although the separatist movement did not become a governing force.

The current independence debate has taken a different route through Alberta’s citizen-initiative system. In 2026, an independence petition promoted by Mitch Sylvestre sought a referendum on the question of whether Alberta should cease to be part of Canada and become an independent state.

Elections Alberta reported that the petition received an initial 286,593 signatures. Following the verification process, 222,597 signatures were verified, exceeding the statutory threshold of 177,732 signatures. Elections Alberta estimated that the verified signatures represented approximately 7.5 per cent of Alberta’s electors.

That figure, however, should not be interpreted as meaning that 7.5 per cent of Albertans support independence. It represents the estimated proportion of electors whose signatures were verified on the petition. A petition signature is different from a vote in a referendum.

Public opinion polling provides another measure of the debate. A recent Ipsos poll conducted for Global News between September 18 and 22, 2026, which included 600 Alberta respondents, found that 70 per cent said they intended to vote for Alberta to remain a province of Canada, while 20 per cent said they intended to support beginning the process for a future binding independence referendum.

Those figures are a polling measurement rather than an official referendum result, and the actual result will not be known until Albertans vote and the ballots are counted.

The upcoming referendum contains 10 questions in total. Questions one through five deal with issues including immigration, eligibility for provincially funded programs, social supports, fees for certain non-permanent residents and proof of citizenship for provincial voting. Questions six through nine concern proposed constitutional changes involving provincial control, the Senate, federal-provincial programs and provincial jurisdiction. Question 10 deals specifically with Alberta’s future constitutional relationship with Canada.

The referendum is therefore broader than a simple separation question. It gives voters an opportunity to express views on several issues concerning provincial authority and the relationship between Alberta and the federal government.

For Calgary’s diverse communities, including Muslim Canadians, the referendum also raises questions about participation in Alberta’s democratic process and how constitutional and political changes could affect residents, businesses, families and communities across the province.

CMPJ’s event is being presented as a forum for information and discussion rather than as a formal campaign event. The organization says the purpose is to provide a respectful environment where participants can hear different perspectives and ask questions before making their own decisions at the ballot box.

The meeting at Mirchi Restaurant is scheduled for Tuesday, September 29, from 7 to 9 p.m., with doors opening at 6:30 p.m. The event information lists Amber Rehman as the RSVP contact and provides amber@safecommunity.com for reservations, noting that seating is limited.

With the October 19 referendum approaching, the discussion over Alberta’s future is expected to remain an important issue in communities throughout the province. For voters, the distinction between the October referendum and a future separation referendum is particularly significant: Question 10 would decide whether the provincial government should begin the legal process toward a binding separation vote, rather than directly deciding Alberta’s independence.

The final decision on Question 10 will rest with Alberta voters on October 19, when the province conducts its referendum.