Premier Smith announced a 10-question referendum on October 19, 2026. Questions range from immigration and social services to Senate abolition and a new question added in May 2026 asking whether Alberta should "remain a province of Canada or commence the legal process" for a separation referendum. Polling shows 3-in-5 Albertans would vote to stay, but half find the question wording "confusing." PM Carney confirmed the federal Clarity Act will not apply. Citizen initiatives: "Alberta Forever Canada" gathered 404,000+ signatures to stay; "Stay Free Alberta" gathered 300,000+ for sovereignty. The government's referendum education website has been criticized for alleged bias toward the questions.

David Parker (founder of Take Back Alberta) launched the "Centurion Project" on April 29, 2026 — a chain-recruitment political app. Elections Alberta investigators interrupted the launch, alleging illegal possession of the protected electors list. Over 550 people had already accessed a renegade voter database. Alberta voter data was found on a US company's website linked to the project (May 2026). RCMP launched a criminal investigation. A disturbing twist: Elections Alberta warned the government in May 2026 that its own proposed legislative changes could hinder future investigations — creating a direct conflict of interest while this probe is active. Parker and Take Back Alberta had previously been fined $120,000 for undisclosed election spending (2025).

The CorruptCare scandal centres on questionable procurement contracts at Alberta Health Services involving companies linked to Edmonton businessman Sam Mraiche (MHCare Medical, Carver PA Corporation). A $70M sole-sourced deal for children's pain medication from Turkey delivered only 30% of promised supply; private surgical contracts were priced at double the equivalent public rates. Former AHS CEO Athana Mentzelopoulos was fired in January 2025 after launching an investigation, and has since filed a $1.7M wrongful-dismissal lawsuit. The Auditor General concluded in October 2025, identifying 18 procurement violations but finding "no evidence of direct political interference" by Premier Smith. RCMP executed search warrants at MHCare in March 2026 — no charges announced as of September 2026. The NDP continues to press for a full public inquiry.

In March–April 2026, Canada and Alberta reached an agreement-in-principle and signed a co-operation agreement to accelerate major project assessments, targeting a 120-day approval timeline. Combined with the Building Canada Act's new "national interest project" pathway (now being used for the West Coast Pipeline), these changes could significantly compress public comment and intervention windows for all projects tracked on this site — including Grassy Mountain, the West Coast Pipeline, and the Meta Sturgeon County data centre.

Premier Smith has announced plans to lower oil and gas royalties in order to attract investment aimed at doubling Alberta's oil production. A new royalty framework is expected to be announced in November 2026, timed to support the West Coast Pipeline investment case. Alberta currently produces approximately 4 million barrels per day, with about 500,000 additional barrels expected by 2030 under current trajectories. Critics — including fiscal analysts — warn that royalty reductions would deepen Alberta's structural revenue dependence on commodity prices, particularly concerning given the province's existing $9.4 billion deficit. Environmental groups note that a doubling of production would make Canada's climate commitments mathematically impossible and significantly expand the footprint of oil sands development. No public consultation process has been announced for the royalty framework changes.