Alberta Premier Daniel Smith defended his fall referendum set of questions aimed at immigration reform, saying “not all newcomers are a net contributor to the province’s coffers.”

Mr Smith announced in a televised address on Thursday night that the United Conservative Party government is putting nine questions into a state-wide referendum on October 19th.

These include proposals to limit health care, education and other social services for some immigrants, and to start constitutional negotiations that would abolish the Senate and give states the power to appoint high court judges.

But the most controversial questions focused on immigration, which was also the subject of many questions at a Friday morning news conference hosted by Smith.

Although Canada’s immigration policy is primarily the responsibility of Ottawa, not the provinces, one of Smith’s referendum questions refers to “Alberta-recognized immigration status.”

Asked what that meant, Mr Smith took aim at a familiar enemy, former Prime Minister Justin Trudeau, criticizing the government for admitting too many immigrants without “in-demand skills” and calling the government’s immigration policy “absolutely unsustainable.”

Statistics Canada says Alberta’s population, which topped 5 million last year, has grown by more than 600,000 people in the past five years. — Smith said certain things are straining the state’s resources.

“By opening our doors wide to everyone in the world, our classrooms, emergency rooms, and social support systems have been overwhelmed with too many people too quickly,” Smith argued.

Smith announced the referendum question at a time when his government is facing a deficit of at least $6.4 billion, caused not only by falling global oil prices but also by a lack of funding due to Alberta’s rapidly growing population.

In response to questions, Mr. Smith could not say how much people who are not Canadian citizens or permanent residents are contributing to the public purse, but argued that other provinces already require employers to pay for health care costs, rather than the provincial government.

The opposition NDP responded to Smith’s referendum question, calling it a deceptive distraction from “the UCP’s budget, which includes a multi-billion dollar deficit combined with her agenda for Alberta’s secession from Canada.”

NDP Deputy Leader Raki Pancholi said at a news conference in Edmonton on Friday that the premier blamed “his poor planning and fiscal mismanagement” for oil prices and immigration, adding that Albertans “will see through this.”

Pancholi referred to the prime minister’s previous calls for increased immigration, saying, “Less than two years ago, Danielle Smith herself asked Prime Minister Justin Trudeau to increase immigration levels because Albertans wanted more than what Ottawa was already allotting. She publicly said she wanted to double Alberta’s population to 10 million people in 2024.”

“She did all of this without any thought or planning on how to create jobs and build homes, schools and hospitals that were already needed in this state,” Pancholi added, calling on Smith to call a state election.

“Let Albertans judge her performance over the past six years under the UCP. This is all a huge distraction from the real things Albertans expect from their government: health care, education, cost of living, and quality jobs,” Pancholi added.

Asked about Smith’s blaming immigrants for contributing to the state’s financial woes, Pancholi said, “I’m a public figure, and I’ve been in this position for about seven years, and I can say without a doubt that the level of racism and hatred expressed in this state has increased.”

Her concerns about a potential backlash against immigrants are echoed by Sally Chao, CEO of the Immigrant Education Association in Calgary.

“We are concerned about the anti-immigrant sentiment that already exists. So will this make the situation even worse? I hope not,” Zhao said.

“And I think the long-term impact is that immigration is filling gaps in many employment labor markets, for example hospitality and other service industries. We wonder if in the future these industries are going to be very heavily dependent on immigration. ‘Where are they going to find workers? And in the long run, are they going to make Alberta a more desirable place for people or are they going to make Alberta a less desirable place?'” Zhao added.

Gabriel Brunet, a spokesperson for Canadian Intergovernmental Affairs Minister Dominic LeBlanc, responded to Smith’s comments, saying the federal government took note of Smith’s speech and has taken steps to restore “control” to the immigration system.

“Albertans will voice their views on these and other issues raised by Premier Smith, as they have done on several constitutional issues in the past,” Brunet said.

–With files from The Canadian Press.

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