Employers, economists and political leaders weigh what comes next as unofficial results show voters rejecting separation from Canada
With ballots still being counted in the Alberta referendum, employers, labour leaders and political figures are already weighing what comes next – from Premier Danielle Smith's immigration plans to a separatist movement that says it is not finished.
Elections Alberta counted the separation question first. By late afternoon Oct. 20, 2026, about 75% of the roughly 1.9 million ballots tallied favoured remaining in Canada, Global News reported. The other nine questions are taking longer: more than 400,000 votes remained uncounted early Oct. 21, and yes led on eight, The Hub reported. Elections Alberta will publish official results on Oct. 29, 2026.
Five of those nine questions dealt with immigration, and they now sit at the centre of the province's agenda.
Premier turns to immigration mandate
Smith first closed the door on separation. "I want to make it clear tonight that for as long as I am premier, I will honour this mandate from Albertans and will not be holding another referendum on this issue," she said in a televised address on Oct. 20, 2026, Global News reported.
She then turned to the workforce, saying Albertans "have directed the provincial government to take greater control over immigration so we can moderate the extraordinary population growth our province has experienced and prioritize jobs and opportunities for Albertans and Canadians," according to speech text reported by The Globe and Mail.
Labour leaders expect her to act quickly. "I have no doubt that she will go hard on these reforms given the outcome on the ballot," Gil McGowan, president of the Edmonton-based Alberta Federation of Labour (AFL), told The Globe and Mail.
Others doubt how strong that mandate is. "We thought we would be blown out," said Avnish Nanda, an Edmonton lawyer who campaigned against the proposals, adding he was shocked the margins were not wider, Global News reported.
Whatever its strength, how that mandate becomes hiring rules will shape employer planning.
Employers weigh what the Alberta referendum means next
Ottawa says it wants tighter control too. "This government has recognized from the start, the need to take back control on immigration, and we've done so," Prime Minister Mark Carney told reporters on Oct. 20, 2026, BNN Bloomberg reported.
For employers, local-first hiring would not be new. In April 2017, Alberta and Ottawa launched a 24-month pilot that refused foreign-worker applications in 29 high-wage occupations, as detailed in HRD's report on that earlier local-hiring pilot. Employers using foreign workers should also track Alberta's plans to tighten oversight of its immigration system.
Small businesses, meanwhile, want their access to workers protected. "Small business owners value stability, predictability, and access to customers, suppliers, and workers across Canada," Keyli Loeppky, senior director of Alberta and interprovincial affairs at the Canadian Federation of Independent Business (CFIB), said in a statement.
Political risk has not fully faded either, including the job, pension and payroll risks facing Alberta employers that HRD examined before the vote. Jeffrey Rath, a central figure in the separatist movement, told Global News he will push for a special general meeting of the United Conservative Party (UCP) to remove Smith.
Economists are watching that fight. "How separatists exact their vengeance on the provincial administration remains uncertain," Derek Holt, vice-president and head of capital markets economics at Toronto-based Scotiabank, said in a statement.
