Experts say independent Alberta would not automatically keep Canadian citizenship

Questions about citizenship are emerging as Alberta heads toward an Oct. 19 referendum on whether to begin the legal process of leaving Canada. Legal experts say claims that an independent Alberta would automatically allow residents to keep Canadian passports are not certain. University of Alberta law professor Gerard Kennedy said people in a hypothetical independent Alberta would have no automatic right to Canadian citizenship without Canada’s consent. University of Ottawa professor Errol Mendes added that the issue would likely be controversial and negotiated at length if separation ever moved forward. The Alberta Prosperity Project says Canadians would likely keep their citizenship and could even hold both Canadian and Albertan passports. But experts say any such outcome would depend on federal decisions, postseparation negotiations, and whether other countries recognized an Alberta passport.