At the end of September, a referendum forum at the Calgary Chinese Elderly Citizens’ Association was pressed wall-to-wall with 200 seniors, with more watching on a video screen in the basement.
This past weekend, about 50 people filled their plates and packed the tables for a referendum information session at the Alex Community Food Centre.
Then on Tuesday evening, a political scientist will team up with puppies for a Dogs for Democracy event at the Calgary Public Library.
Across the province, many community-based organizations are planning, hosting and getting creative to help their members feel informed ahead of what might be for some a confusing referendum.
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“In terms of numbers, I’m probably at about three dozen [events]. I know others that have done more,” said Lori Williams, a Mount Royal University political science professor who’s been in high demand these days.
“I did one in Lacombe, and I got an invitation to do one in Innisfail. I did one in Canmore. I have colleagues who’ve done them in Ghost Valley — all kinds of places around the province,” she said.
“We know that people are overwhelmed and confused by the questions. The polling is showing that they are still confused, and it’s important that people vote and have the information they need to make an informed choice.”
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Williams spoke for more than an hour at the Alex centre, reviewing what is known and unknown about each question without advocating for one side or the other.
Then she took questions from the audience, including: in Question 1, what does the province mean by “sustainable immigration levels”? (She said we don’t know). And will there be scrutineers for the vote count? (She said “absolutely yes.”)
Williams urged people to vote, and said if they ordered a mail-in ballot and don’t return it on time, they can check the Elections Alberta website. If their ballot is not marked as counted, they can still vote in person.
Community members TracyRay Lewis and Wanda Trytten said the presentation was really helpful.
“I was thinking of skipping some questions,” Lewis said. “But now that I’m clear, I know I can answer all of them, and that’s better, I think, than leaving them blank.”
The Alberta referendum is scheduled for Monday, Oct. 19, with advance voting from Oct. 13 through Oct. 17. There are 10 questions — some about immigration and the Canadian constitution, and one about whether or not Alberta should start the legal process to hold a vote on independence.
Kenneth Fung is the executive director of the Chinese association, which partnered with Fairchild Radio for their forum on Sept. 25. His team had been helping seniors sign up for the mail-in ballot.
“We have had over 100 seniors do that because we heard that on the day of the voting there will be long lines, long queues in the stations,” he said. “We are trying our best to help them to get informed and then make their own decision.”
Fung can’t vote because he has a temporary immigration status. His family came from Hong Kong four years ago and have been waiting and hoping for permanent residency.
He says the referendum questions about limiting services for people with temporary status feel unfair.
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“The day I set foot in this country, I was a taxpaying resident. So I’m contributing to the Canadian society, and I think I should have … the other benefits,” he said. “I don’t think we should restrict benefits to new immigrants, including myself.”
Becky Tsu is a volunteer with the Chinese association. She said the seniors sometimes wonder why they should vote.
“I always tell them: ‘No, it’s not for you. It’s for the next generation, at least one generation. We should do it, and it’s for everyone’s sake,” she said.
“We should stick together, help the country to grow.”
The seniors’ association held its forum in Cantonese, exploring the Canadian constitution and the role of the treaties and each referendum question.
At the midway point, when they turned to the audience for questions, Dennis Wong was the first up to the microphone. He’s an engineer who moved to Canada from Hong Kong as a child.
He said he urged the crowd to think about why this debate has come up at all, rather than just focusing on whether to vote for or against separation.
“I see it as a really great opportunity for the rest of the country to really understand what’s going on,” he said. “It creates a conversation, right?”
“I believe that not only Albertans, but the rest of the country should really, really ask that question [about] why Alberta wants to leave.”
Many culture-based community groups have been getting involved, especially those who have immigrants as members.
People with temporary immigration status aren’t able to vote, but might be impacted by proposed new policies around access to provincial schools, hospitals and social services. Five of the referendum questions have to do with immigration.
Julie Alati-it worked with Filipinos Rising to create an information sheet, host sessions for seniors, and answer questions through WhatsApp.
She said an event the group co-hosted at Calgary’s Genesis Centre was “really good because we had quite a big attendance and a really in-depth conversation about what it means to be Canadian.”
First Nations in Alberta work to mobilize voters, prepare community members for referendum
“Voting is certainly a very personal thing in this province. So that’s for each [community member] to decide. But we try to frame it as: do you have all the information that you need to make a good choice for you?” said Alati-it.
“It’s worth it to go vote in the referendum. I would really encourage folks to go do that, even if they don’t answer all the questions. For me, this is the first time in my life that I would be voting in a referendum like this, and I’m not entirely sure that it would happen again in my lifetime. So just go vote.”
