There are moments when life stops being abstract and becomes a question of who we are—and, for followers of Jesus, what kind of people we are becoming.
It’s been said that an electorate has a short memory. Politicians bank on that. But memories lengthen when things get personal. For Jesus followers, it gets personal when principles, foundational to human dignity and justice, are at risk.
February 2026
Seven months ago, the October 19th Referendum Questions were announced in a province-wide, government TV broadcast. Seven months later, I can still feel the rising emotion to the questions. As the Premier stated each one, I answered to Jocelyn, No, No, NO, Double No, No, No, No, No, No.
I tried, at first, to set aside my cynicism about the rationale for the referendum and give the government the benefit of the doubt. The stated purpose was to “hear from all Albertans.” That sounded a little like an opinion poll.
And there’s nothing wrong with asking Albertans what they think. In fact, governments should listen carefully to the people they serve.
But listening and persuading are not the same thing.
That distinction became harder to ignore when the provincial government launched a taxpayer funded, multi-million-dollar advertising campaign urging Albertans to vote yes on the referendum questions. Most likely you recently received your glossy promo in the mail. Paid for by your tax dollars.
Questions 1–4 Are Particularly Troubling
#1 suggests prioritizing economic migration and giving Albertans first priority on new employment opportunities.
#2 asks whether eligibility for provincially funded programs should be restricted to citizens, permanent residents, and people with an Alberta-approved immigration status.
Question 3 proposes a 12-month residency requirement for some non-permanent residents before they could qualify for provincially funded social supports.
#4 asks whether non-permanent residents should be charged a fee or premium for their use of public health care and education.
I understand the fiscal argument.
Health care costs money. Education costs money. Rapid population growth creates real pressures on classrooms, hospitals, housing, infrastructure, and social services. Those pressures deserve serious public discussion.
But something deeper is happening when we begin to frame our obligations to one another primarily in terms of what each person contributes and what each person is entitled to receive in return.
That is where this becomes personal for me.
Community
Photo by Emmanuel Phaeton on Unsplash
Non-permanent residents who live and work here also contribute to Alberta’s economy and pay taxes. So when we impose additional fees on top of taxation for access to essential public services, the question is not simply, “How much money will this save?”
The deeper question is: What kind of community do we want to be?
Do we want to become a community in which access to essential goods is increasingly determined by transactional calculations of status and economic contribution?
Or do we believe that human beings possess a dignity that precedes their economic usefulness?
Those are not merely political questions.
They are moral questions.
And for Christians, they are theological questions.
The government has connected the referendum to the fiscal pressures facing Alberta. In February, the Premier attributed the province’s budget challenges in significant part to low oil prices and what she described as unsustainable federal immigration policies.
But the fiscal picture has changed dramatically. Alberta’s first-quarter 2026-27 update now forecasts $11.7 billion more revenue than projected in the February budget, primarily because of higher-than-expected oil prices, and the province says it is on track for a sixth consecutive surplus year.
So, we should be careful about allowing a particular group of people to become the explanation for every fiscal challenge.
There is a danger here that goes beyond this referendum.
Authoritarianism thrives on transactionalism.
When people become categories, when neighbours become costs, when belonging becomes conditional, and when compassion is treated as a luxury we can afford only when the books are balanced, something important has been lost.
Jesus followers are called to something different.
The biblical story is not fundamentally a story of transactions. It is a story of covenant.
The shared centre of Jewish and Christian faith is remarkably simple:
Love God with all your heart, soul, mind, and strength.
And love your neighbour as yourself.
Deuteronomy 6:5. Leviticus 19:18. Mark 12:30–31. Matthew 22:37–39.
Paul puts it even more simply:
“The only thing that counts is faith expressing itself through love.” — Galatians 5:6.
That is why I believe the Church in Alberta has some serious soul-searching to do.
The work before us is not simply to win an argument about a referendum.
It is repentance.
A Summons
If our reactions over what is happening become merely another form of tribalism, we have missed the point.
But if our reactions become a summons to love more deeply—to care more deeply about the dignity of our neighbours, the vulnerable, the newcomer, the child, the person who has little power or political influence—then perhaps our reaction can become something holy.
Any emotion we feel should ultimately become a cry for the urgency of love to rise.
The Church in Alberta is called to hold before Albertans a larger vision of the common good—a vision in which every person has dignity, every neighbour matters, and public policy is never separated from our responsibility to love.
If that vision is difficult to sustain in society at large, then at the very least, it must be championed in the Church.
We should be the people who remind our province that human beings are more than economic units.
More than taxpayers, or citizens or voters.
More than immigrants.
They are people made in the image of God.
And perhaps that is where repentance begins—not with changing someone else’s politics, but with allowing God to examine what is happening in our own hearts.
Immigration’s Bigger Picture
I’m taking my Masters in Leadership, Theology, and Systems at Briercrest College. One of my reading assignments is a report by Joel Murphy, “Christian Leader’s Exploratory Foresight Report”.
He makes a chilling observation,
“Public sentiment on immigration is shifting, with concerns over integration, housing affordability, and social cohesion rising. Between March and November 2023, the proportion of Canadians who believe there are “too many immigrants” increased by 13%, while 57% expressed concerns that immigrants are not adopting “Canadian values.” This growing skepticism influences federal policies and immigrant experiences, shaping their ability to integrate into society—including faith communities.
This change in sentiment is not just a political or social trend—it is a signal with theological and ecclesial implications. Churches and Christian organizations, many of which have historically played a key role in refugee sponsorship, resettlement, and intercultural ministry, now face an increasingly contested landscape. The public’s shifting perception may influence funding, policy, and even how immigrant and refugee families are received in local congregations. This is a moment of discernment: will the church reflect the fear of the culture, or offer a counter-imagination of hospitality, covenant, and shared flourishing?”
This IS a moment of discernment.
Common Good
Three Anglican Bishops of Alberta warned of the consequences of YES votes to the first four questions, “when we reflect on these referendum questions as disciples of Christ, we are encouraged to do so not only in terms of what is best for ourselves as individuals, or best for Alberta alone, but rather with a concern for the Common Good. In other words, with an eye for how our decisions will impact all our neighbours – especially those who are most vulnerable.”
The Catholic Archbishops of Alberta issued a pastoral letter in which they explained, “The common good concerns the conditions that enable individuals, families, and communities to flourish. It requires respect for fundamental rights, access to the necessities of life, and peace grounded in justice.”
So far, I hear crickets from Evangelicals.
Jocelyn and I pray for the soul of our Premier.
We pray for the MLAs elected to serve the best interests of this province.
And we pray for the Church in Alberta—that we would have the courage to become what Jesus called us to be:
A people of justice whose faith is expressed through love.
Have you heard your pastor or minister speak about the theological implications of the Referendum question? Have your Christian friends engaged in conversation about the subject? Please join the conversation and post a comment below.
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