Premier warns enforcement if separation vote sparks civil unrest

Premier Danielle Smith says the law will be enforced if First Nations communities engage in civil disobedience over her government's separation referendum set for October 19.

"I hope it doesn't come to that," Smith said Friday at a news conference in Calgary.

Albertans will vote on whether they want to stay in Canada or start the process to hold a second, binding referendum on quitting the country. First Nations leaders across the province have been pushing back against the referendum plan, arguing the government has not consulted them on a decision that could affect treaty rights.

Treaty 8 Grand Chief Trevor Mercredi said Thursday that if necessary, First Nations may block industry or take protests to highways. "There can be no decisions about Alberta separating without consultation and consent of our First Nations," he said.

Smith pointed to the province's critical infrastructure defence law, which imposes extra penalties for obstructing essential infrastructure like railways, highways, or pipelines. "I think you saw how serious we are about enforcing that law as we have many times over previous years," she said.

Smith has maintained she wants Alberta to remain in Canada, but that Albertans deserve the chance to debate the issue at the ballot box. She also reiterated her belief that the referendum doesn't trigger a constitutional duty to consult First Nations — a position at odds with a recent court decision that stalled a separation petition drive on those grounds.

Mercredi has said Smith's government's relationship with First Nations is "fundamentally ruined." Smith dismissed that claim as "overstated," noting her government meets regularly with Treaty 6, Treaty 7, Treaty 8, and Blackfoot Confederacy leaders and has collaborated on addiction recovery, business loans, and grants.