Manitoba premier calls on Alberta to pause its fall separation vote for ‘year or two’

KANANASKIS – Manitoba Premier Wab Kinew urged Tuesday for Alberta Premier Danielle Smith to pause her fall separation referendum.

Kinew, speaking directly to Smith at the annual meeting of western and northern premiers, said with all provinces signing and building megaprojects — including pipelines — this isn’t the time for such uncertainty.

“Now is the time to work together,” Kinew said as the leaders met with reporters to wrap up their two-day meeting in Kananaskis, Alta.

“Why don’t we hold off on this referendum talk for a year or two, so we can get these pipelines under construction?

“Because at the end of the day, we want Canada to succeed.”

Smith’s office later confirmed it doesn’t plan to delay the vote.

Smith has said she wants her province to remain in Canada but that many Albertans are unhappy with Ottawa and deserve a chance to express their opinion on staying in Confederation.

Smith announced last week that Albertans will vote Oct. 19 on whether to stay in Canada or start the process for a binding referendum on leaving the country.

At Tuesday’s news conference, at a resort west of Calgary, Smith said what the country needs is “unity, certainty and stability,” so each province and territory can develop their economies and export resources.

“We all understand this is Canada’s moment and that we need to work together to make the most of it,” she said.

Kinew and Smith also clashed on her characterization of the court ruling two weeks ago that put a separatist referendum petition in legal limbo.

Smith repeated Tuesday that she thinks the judge erred in ruling that the province neglected its duty to consult with First Nations about the petition.

Smith said she believe the decision overstates the duty to consult, noting she feels it should only be required in relation to major projects.

“We’ll make the arguments in court about what the limits to duty to consult ought to be, and we’ll see how that conversation goes,” she said.

Smith also said she thinks it’s a mistake to expect consultations to be done in relation to citizen-initiated petitions, which prompted Kinew to speak up.

“That is not correct, a lot of what you just said there, Premier Smith,” Kinew said. “It is not up to the petition gatherers to fulfil the duty to consult.

“It is up to you, as the Alberta government, to fulfil the duty to consult.”

Kinew said he agrees with the judge’s ruling and that creating a new international border around Alberta would certainly impede established treaty rights for Indigenous people to hunt and fish.

Smith responded by saying their disagreement proves the importance of Canada’s court system, adding that she respects the “difference of opinion.”

“I think we’ll wait to see how our court of appeals process goes and see what the courts have to say.”

The meeting was replete with symbolic garb.

On Monday, Eby wore a new pair of cowboy boots given to him by Smith, while Day 2 began with the premiers posing in Team Canada World Cup jerseys.

The soccer gear was a gift from B.C. Premier David Eby, whose province is hosting games for the upcoming international tournament.

But the meeting’s agenda — including discussion on trade, economy, energy security and defence — was publicly overshadowed by heated talk of separatism in Alberta.

The event began on a tetchy note Monday, when Eby publicly wondered why they should work on getting things built as Alberta pushes the envelope on breaking it all apart.

Smith, in turn, said Eby and previous B.C. leaders need to understand that their efforts to landlock Alberta’s oil wealth helped sow the separatist bitterness now being reaped in Alberta.

On Tuesday, Eby repeated that he disagrees profoundly with Smith’s referendum.

“I think it is a huge mistake,” he said.

All premiers at the meeting agreed now is the time for unity and certainty in order to get things done for Canadians, emphasizing the country can’t afford delays in nation-building infrastructure. 

In a joint news release, they pointed to the importance of expanding energy and electricity infrastructure, including hydro, wind, oil, natural gas and uranium. 

Saskatchewan Premier Scott Moe said the meeting was characterized by “frank and civil conversations,” and he spoke about the need to work together to give “everyone reason to want to be a part of our nation.”

He praised Prime Minister Mark Carney’s Liberal government in Ottawa for elevating Canada’s credibility in global trade, for his collaborative approach and for making significant regulatory changes to encourage industrial projects.

This report by The Canadian Press was first published May 26, 2026.

— With files from Jack Farrell and Lisa Johnson in Edmonton