On Monday, October 19, Albertans will head to the polls to vote on a series of questions about the province’s future, and CBC is committed to helping Canadians understand what’s at stake on a local and national level. CBC News is providing extensive and in-depth reporting and analysis on what Elections Alberta is calling the largest voting moment in Canada’s history, with an emphasis on live and local coverage that reflects a wide range of views on questions about separation, the Constitution and immigration.
CBC News’ comprehensive coverage of the 2026 Alberta Referendum includes:
Wednesday, October 14 & Thursday, October 15 - The National on location in Red Deer and Edmonton
- Chief Correspondent Adrienne Arsenault will host The National from Alberta in the days leading up to the referendum. On Wednesday, October 14, she will be on the ground in Red Deer to explore how people in Central Alberta feel about separatism and sovereignty. On Thursday, October 15, she’ll host from Edmonton as Alberta heads into the final stretch before the referendum. There will also be a special edition of At Issue. Available weeknights and Sundays at 10 p.m. (9:30 NT) on CBC and CBC Gem and 9 p.m. ET on CBC News Network.
Friday, October 16 - The Current in Diamond Valley and Siksika Nation
- The Current will broadcast from Alberta, as host Matt Galloway visits Diamond Valley, south of Calgary, talking to residents including small business owners and farmers about their views on separatism and their place in Canada. He will also visit Siksika Nation to speak with Chief Sam Crowfoot, as well as explore the immigration questions being included on the ballot. On Tuesday, October 20, The Current will discuss the results and what they mean. Available weekdays at 8:30 a.m. (9 NT) on CBC Radio and wherever you get your podcasts.
Sunday, October 18 - Alberta at a Crossroads, a special edition of Cross Country Checkup co-produced with West of Centre
- Live from Edmonton on the eve of Alberta’s referendum vote, Ian Hanomansing and Kathleen Petty co-host Alberta at a Crossroads, a special edition of Cross Country Checkup co-produced with West of Centre. Albertans and Canadians will share intimate family conversations and debate unity versus separation with political analysts and separatist leaders. Live from 4-6 p.m. ET on CBC Radio, CBC News Network, CBC Listen and CBC Gem.
- Additional referendum coverage will be provided by Rosemary Barton Live.
Monday, October 19 - CBC News All-Day Coverage includes Alberta Votes: Referendum Night hosted by Adrienne Arsenault and Kathleen Petty
- Referendum Day on CBC News will start early, with special editions of all CBC News programs on October 19. As the polls close across Alberta that evening, CBC News will ensure Canadians receive up-to-the-minute coverage with special Alberta Votes: Referendum Night, hosted by Chief Correspondent Adrienne Arsenault and West of Centre’s host Kathleen Petty. The special will begin at 7 p.m. MT (9 p.m. ET) on CBC News Network, CBC Gem, CBC Radio and across CBC News streaming platforms, and will air locally on CBC TV in Alberta beginning at 7 p.m. MT (other CBC TV markets will join the special at 10 p.m. local time).
- Throughout Alberta Votes, CBC News will have reporters stationed at key centres across the province, providing critical insight from all corners of Alberta.
- The CBC News At Issue panel, moderated by Rosemary Barton and featuring Andrew Coyne, Chantal Hébert and Althia Raj, will bring the national big-picture view to the Alberta Votes: Referendum Night special.
- Power & Politics with David Cochrane will be live from Calgary on Referendum Day at 5 p.m. ET (2 p.m. PT, 5:30 p.m. NT) on CBC News Network.
- Front Burner host Jayme Poisson will visit Edmonton to talk to campaigners on both sides of the separation question as they make their final pitch to voters. Available wherever you get your podcasts.
Tuesday, October 20 - Alberta Morning Shows, West of Centre and Power & Politics with David Cochrane
- The Calgary Eyeopener’s Loren McGinnis and Edmonton AM’s Tara McCarthy will host a province-wide joint morning show focused on live results and analysis of the referendum. Live starting at 5:30 a.m. MT on CBC Radio and CBC Listen, and streaming on CBC Edmonton and CBC Calgary FAST channels and CBC News Alberta’s YouTube Channel.
- Power & Politics with David Cochrane will provide post-results impact and analysis at 5 p.m. ET (2 p.m. PT, 5:30 p.m. NT) on CBC News Network.
- In a special podcast episode released on Tuesday, October 20, West of Centre provides a behind-the-scenes look at the initial referendum results and what they mean. Plus, the following episode, releasing Friday, October 23 on podcast platforms and airing Sunday, October 25 on CBC Radio, will offer an in-depth analysis of the full referendum results and a look at where Alberta goes next.
Alberta Referendum Content Available Now
- Find all ongoing CBC News coverage of the Alberta Referendum on CBC.ca
- On Unreserved with host Rosanna Deerchild, Tania Cameron says the question of separatism is tied to treaty, and so she brought her Rock the Indigenous Vote campaign to Alberta to help educate communities and encourage them to have their say at the polls. Rosanna hears how communities are mobilizing in Alberta through the courts and at the ballot box, and the authors of Talk Treaty To Me weigh in on how the Alberta referendum presents an opportunity to all Canadians to consider treaty rights and responsibilities. Available now wherever you get your podcasts.
- The Sunday Magazine host Piya Chattopadhyay hit the road in Alberta in the run-up to the provincial referendum to meet next door neighbours who are divided on the separation question, explore how a mixed-jurisdiction destination like Banff shows how messy potential separation could be, unpack the potential stakes of immigration questions with affected communities and Alberta's minister in charge of that file, and mount an all-prairie edition of monthly challenge, That's Puzzling! Available now wherever you get your podcasts.
- Canada’s premier investigative documentary program, The fifth estate, presents The Alberta Question, to find out what brought the province and Canada to this point. Mark Kelley meets the influencers behind the battle for independence and asks, how did we get here? The Alberta Question is available to stream now on CBC Gem and The fifth estate’s YouTube channel.
- On the CBC News streaming channel and available on-demand on CBC Gem and YouTube, About That with Andrew Chang will continue to dig deeper into Canadians’ questions about the referendum.
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