Uploaded May 2026 | Updated September 2026, 2 weeks ago
Manitoba Premier Wab Kinew used a meeting of western premiers to publicly confront his Alberta counterpart, Danielle Smith, and urge her to put a stop to a referendum that will ask voters in her province whether it should remain in Canada.
Mr. Kinew said he met with First Nations leaders from the province before the premiers’ meeting in Kananaskis, Alta., and that he used his meeting with Ms. Smith to pass along their concerns.
The premiers’ meeting happened less than a week after Ms. Smith announced that a referendum in October will ask Alberta voters to choose between remaining in Canada or moving forward with a second, binding referendum on separation.
Ms. Smith’s announcement followed a court ruling that threw out a citizen-initiated petition for a separation referendum in part because the government did not consult with First Nations before Alberta’s elections agency approved the question.
Ms. Smith has criticized the decision and said the government would appeal it, suggesting that the court ruling required petitioners to consult with First Nations.
When Ms. Smith said during the news conference Tuesday that the duty to consult is unclear, Mr. Kinew quickly jumped in.
“It is up to you, as the Alberta government, to fulfill the duty to consult,” Mr. Kinew said, arguing that the creation of a new country would affect First Nations hunting and fishing rights. #cdnpoli #manitoba #alberta
Manitoba Premier Wab Kinew used a meeting of western premiers to publicly confront his Alberta counterpart, Danielle Smith, and urge her to put a stop to a referendum that will ask voters in her province whether it should remain in Canada.
Mr. Kinew said he met with First Nations leaders from the province before the premiers’ meeting in Kananaskis, Alta., and that he used his meeting with Ms. Smith to pass along their concerns.
The premiers’ meeting happened less than a week after Ms. Smith announced that a referendum in October will ask Alberta voters to choose between remaining in Canada or moving forward with a second, binding referendum on separation.
Ms. Smith’s announcement followed a court ruling that threw out a citizen-initiated petition for a separation referendum in part because the government did not consult with First Nations before Alberta’s elections agency approved the question.
Ms. Smith has criticized the decision and said the government would appeal it, suggesting that the court ruling required petitioners to consult with First Nations.
When Ms. Smith said during the news conference Tuesday that the duty to consult is unclear, Mr. Kinew quickly jumped in.
“It is up to you, as the Alberta government, to fulfill the duty to consult,” Mr. Kinew said, arguing that the creation of a new country would affect First Nations hunting and fishing rights. #cdnpoli #manitoba #alberta
