Alberta referendum questions driving division, hate towards some communities

While talk of Alberta separation has been getting much attention, some community members say the upcoming referendum questions are fueling hate and division.

Premier Danielle Smith announced Thursday that her government will add a question to the Oct. 19 referendum, asking residents if they think the province should begin the legal process for a binding separation referendum.

The question has been criticized on all fronts. Those who petitioned for the province to separate called the question “baffling,” business communities say it’s creating uncertainty at the worst time, and experts say the question isn’t coherent and “meant to be foggy and confusing.”

Besides the 37-word Alberta separation question, there are five other questions in the fall referendum focused on immigration, which are fueling discrimination sentiment in the province.

The questions include decreasing immigration to the province and introducing a law that only Canadian citizens, permanent residents and those with an Alberta-approved immigration status be eligible for provincial healthcare, education and other social services.

“Generally, if you look at research and statistics, immigrants produce a lot of work that is good for the economy, for our country,” said Samya Hasan, the executive director of the Council of Agencies Serving South Asians.

“Unfortunately, the rhetoric that is in the government and mainstream does not follow statistics and research. When we look at immigrants, we’re looking at them as the cause to our economical problems, as the cause to our social justice problems, when there is no correlation when you look at the research.”

Members of the Indigenous community say the separation debate has increased the level of racism they are facing, and those in the South Asian community are sharing a similar experience over the immigration questions.

“When you have politicians that create this rhetoric in the level of government, what happens as it trickles down into the community level is that it creates a lot of anti-immigrant sentiments — it creates a lot of anti-South Asian sentiments,” Hasan said.

“And we’ve been seeing a lot of hate towards South Asian communities.”

NDP Deputy Leader Rakhi Pancholi says the referendum questions are divisive and creating anxiety for newcomers.

“We know that there’s been a spike in anti-immigrant rhetoric, around racism, around hate towards anybody who looks like an immigrant, which by the way, we all are immigrants, unless you’re an Indigenous person here in this province. But that is a real thing that is actually happening. It’s not just a fear, it is experiencing it.

At the South Asian Social Justice Summit in Calgary, discussions have included the divisive climate and exploring more inclusive systems.

“It’s not a Muslim issue, it’s not a Sikh issue, it’s not a Hindu issue, it’s not a non-religious issue. It affects all of us,” Hasan said.

“So, if you’re a brown person and you have brown skin, you are more likely to be targeted by hate. So let’s just work together and move forward together to see how we can make change together.”

With May being South Asian Heritage Month, they are focusing their campaign on anti-hate work and continuing to spread awareness throughout the year.