Premier Danielle Smith wants to hold a referendum in October on measures to limit immigration to Alberta and changes she believes would give the province more rights under the Constitution.

In a 13-minute televised address Thursday evening, Smith said she wants Albertans to vote on nine questions on Oct. 19. She said the subject of each question was based on what the Alberta Next Panel heard the most when consulting with Albertans during town halls and through written submissions last year.

“The fact is, Alberta taxpayers can no longer be asked to continue to subsidize the entire country through equalization and federal transfers, permit the federal government to flood our borders with new arrivals and then give free access to our most-generous-in-the-country social programs to anyone who moves here,” Smith said.