A conservative premier in Canada revealed the staggering cost migrants have on her province and the small contribution they make in return.
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they → reveal → return
Alberta Premier Danielle Smith, 55, spotlighted at a press conference on Monday that $1 billion CAD [$710.2 million USD] is annually spent on health care and education for temporary residents.
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CAD → spotlight → residents
Smith claimed that migrants contribute just $150 million CAD [$106.5 million USD] to provincial tax revenues, far less than a quarter of what they cost the region.
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they → claim → region
'We have, I believe, 246,000 temporary residents,' Smith said.
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Smith → have → residents
'They have 48,000 children in our health care system.
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They → have → system
'No other country does this,' she added.
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she → do → this
The premier's remarks come less than a month before Alberta's October 19 referendum, a ballot where voters will weigh in on immigration, constitutional issues and potential separation from Canada.
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voters → come → Canada
Albertans will be asked if they support the government 'taking increased control over immigration for the purposes of decreasing immigration to more sustainable levels, prioritizing economic migration and giving Albertans first priority on new employment opportunities?
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government → ask → opportunities
The next question touches on Smith's concerns, asking whether immigrants should be eligible for provincially funded programs, such as health care, education and other social services.
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immigrants → touch → care
Alberta Premier Danielle Smith, 55, spotlighted at a press conference on Monday how more than $1 billion CAD [$710.2 million USD] a year is spent on tens of thousands of migrants
The Alberta Prosperity Project is spearheading the referendum petition, which has attracted more than 300,000 signatures and is run by gun shop owner Mitch Sylvestre and lawyer Jeffrey Rath.
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which → spotlight → Sylvestre
The movement believes that Alberta's economic growth has been hindered by legislation enacted by politicians in the country's eastern provinces, particularly in the nation's capital, Ottawa.
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growth → believe → capital
Alberta is oil-rich and separatists have said that strict environmental policies issued by former Prime Minister Justin Trudeau have prevented the province from building pipelines and benefiting from its resources.
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policies → say → resources
They also believe that Alberta is a victim of 'western alienation,' a decades-old idea held by some in Canada's conservative-leaning western provinces, which claims that the area is neglected by national politicians in Ottawa.
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area → believe → Ottawa
They believe elites in the country's more populous eastern provinces have disproportionate sway over Alberta's internal affairs.
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elites → believe → affairs
A provincial court blocked the petition earlier this year, saying that its organizers failed to consult Indigenous First Nations who would be impacted by independence.
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who → block → independence
Smith detailed how the money used on health care and education for temporary residents but noted that 'no other country does that'
Smith's (Pictured with Former Prime Minister of Canada Justin Trudeau) remarks come less than a month before Alberta's October 19 referendum, a ballot where voters will weigh in on immigration, constitutional issues and potential separation from Canada
Footage from the Royal Canadian Mounted Police of people crossing the Manitoba border into Canada in February 2025
But Smith's administration appealed the decision, saying she would not let 'a single judge silence the voices of hundreds of thousands of Albertans.'
In an address this February, the premier said Alberta added nearly 600,000 residents over five years, putting pressure on the health care system and the province's school system, according to Juno News.
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Alberta → detail → News
'Throwing the doors wide open to anyone and everyone across the globe has flooded our classrooms, emergency rooms and social support systems with far too many people, far too quickly,' said Smith.
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Smith → throw → people
'The changes we need to make to immigration are a significant departure from the status quo,' the premier added.
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premier → need → quo
'I am seeking a referendum mandate from Albertans to implement them.'
Despite growing separatist sentiment in Alberta, the majority of the province's citizens, including Smith, are in favor of remaining part of Canada, according to recent polling.
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majority → seek → polling
The separatist movement is led by the Alberta Prosperity Project, with gun shop owner Mitch Sylvestre (pictured) as one of its heads
Lawyer Jeff Rath is the other leader of the Alberta Prosperity Project
Additionally, polls indicate that a large majority of Albertans would vote to remain part of Canada.
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majority → lead → Canada
A January Ipsos poll determined that just 28 percent of the province's citizens would vote 'yes' in an independence referendum.
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percent → determine → referendum
And of the separatists questioned in that poll, around a fifth said that their support for independence was symbolic or conditional, amounting to more of a political bargaining tool than a total commitment to separation.
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support → question → separation
The Aporia
