EDMONTON — Albertans continued to weigh in Saturday morning on the list of questions Premier Danielle Smith is set to put to vote in a looming referendum.

Some callers told Smith on her call-in radio show that the October referendum, which is largely focusing on immigration, is just what Albertans want to see and said the premier is going in the right direction.

In the same hour, dozens gathered in freezing temperatures outside Alberta’s legislature in Edmonton to express their frustration with the track Smith is on and the separatist sentiment.

Smith announced on Friday that Albertans will be responding to nine questions in the referendum.

On Saturday she again defended her government’s decision to make more than half of the questions about immigration, saying she wants to reign in the bubbling population of non-permanent residents as it has become financially unsustainable.

The remaining questions focus on constitutional amendments.

This report by The Canadian Press was first published Feb. 21, 2026.

The Canadian Press