Danielle Smith’s dangerous referendum rhetoric threatens Canada’s Constitution and Indigenous treaty rights

Alberta Premier Danielle Smith speaks during a news conference in Calgary on May 22, 2026. THE CANADIAN PRESS/Jeff McIntosh Alberta will hold a vote this fall on whether to pursue a referendum on separation from Canada. The situation might seem comical if it weren’t so dangerous — both for the majority of Albertans who don’t support separation and for Indigenous treaty people, whom Premier Danielle Smith has accused of undermining the democratic process. When the Athabasca Chipewyan First Nation and Blackfoot Confederacy won a joint court case earlier this month, effectively arguing that a sep…