Most Alberta doctors would leave if province separated

Only 15 per cent of Alberta physicians surveyed said they would keep living and practising in the province if it became an independent country, according to a survey released Oct. 14 by the Alberta Medical Association.

The association surveyed 1,649 physicians. Less than a quarter said they were uncertain what they would do, which leaves a majority who indicated they would go, though the association’s figures as reported do not state the exact share. Those who would leave said they would move to another province or territory, and a small percentage said they would retire or leave medicine earlier than planned, according to The Canadian Press.

The results were released by AMA president Dr. Heidi Fell in a letter on the first of five days of advance voting before the Oct. 19 referendum. The Alberta Medical Association is the province’s physician organization. The survey dates and method were not given in the coverage reviewed.

Updated Oct. 14, 2026. This story is developing. The figures come from one survey, reported by The Canadian Press, and the association’s letter itself was not reviewed.

Premier Danielle Smith’s United Conservative Party government put 10 questions on the ballot. The first nine concern the Constitution and immigration, including whether newcomers and temporary workers should face limits or fees for access to health care. The 10th asks whether Alberta should stay in Canada or hold a second, binding referendum on leaving.

Fell said separation would shrink the medical workforce and leave health care in an independent Alberta in limbo. She said it is unclear how an independent province would replace federal health funding, and she raised access to medicines, equipment and medical services.

The immigration questions are a separate worry for doctors. Fell wrote to the province’s health ministers last week to ask what physicians should do when a patient needs care but eligibility cannot be confirmed right away, and how disputes over eligibility can be settled without delaying treatment.

“Uncertainty about coverage should not unnecessarily delay care,” Fell said, according to the report. She said the association hopes to hear from the government soon.

Hospitals Minister Adriana LaGrange’s office said it is reviewing the letter. In an email, the office said it would be inappropriate to speculate on the outcome of the referendum or any resulting policy or legislative changes until Albertans have voted.

The survey lands in a province where health care is already a political fault line. Our earlier coverage of Alberta’s push toward a two-tier health system showed how contested the future of public care is, and a physician workforce that says it would leave adds a new pressure point for voters weighing the 10th question.

Some questions remain unanswered in the reporting so far. The survey does not say how many of the respondents were family doctors, specialists or rural physicians, though where doctors practise matters for patients. Rural communities across Alberta have long struggled to recruit and keep physicians. It is also not clear how many of the 1,649 respondents represent the province’s total physician count, or whether stated intentions would match what doctors actually do after a vote. Surveys of intent often overstate real departures, and a vote to hold a second referendum would not itself change a doctor’s licence or funding.

The vote itself is close at hand. Readers can find where and how to cast a ballot in our guide on how to vote in Alberta’s Oct. 19 referendum, and our earlier piece on the economic impact of separating looks at the wider stakes. Official polling day is Oct. 19.

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Via The Canadian Press (original report), as carried by CJME and Narcity. Both pages carry the same wire story, so the core figures rest on that single source.