Albertans to vote on opting out of federal programs — while keeping cash | CBC News

It’s 1 of 4 constitutional questions on October ballot, but ‘yes’ vote alone can’t change this

When referendum day arrives in Alberta on Oct. 19, the focus won’t just be on separation and immigration.

Albertans will also be presented with four constitutional questions that range from abolishing the Senate to whether Alberta should appoint the judges who sit on the province’s higher courts.

Third on the list will be a question tied to federal programs like pharmacare. The federal government provides funding to provinces for these programs, sometimes with conditions attached. 

As part of the referendum, voters will be asked if they support a government push to try to amend the Constitution.

The stated goal? To allow provinces to opt out of federal programs “that intrude on provincial jurisdiction such as health care, education and social services” without losing any associated federal funding for use in social programs. 

“What Alberta is gunning for here is an attempt to limit what we call the constitutional spending power,” said Geoffrey Sigalet, director of the UBC Research Group for Constitutional Law. 

By constitutional spending power, Sigalet is referring to Ottawa’s ability to transfer money to provinces and attach conditions to it.

Today, provinces can decline federal funding if they don’t agree with the conditions attached. 

But if agreements between provinces and the federal government aren’t reached, that can also mean leaving money on the table, which can be politically unpopular.

“Different constitutional scholars take different perspectives on this,” Sigalet said. 

“Some will be more in favour of centralizing this kind of thing. … My own sense is that Alberta has a point here.”