Unclear or convoluted wording on Alberta’s referendum questions may be contributing to indecision, pollster Mario Canseco says. About four per cent of people surveyed by his marketing research firm, Research Co., were undecided on the final question, which asks whether the province should separate from Canada. For each of the other nine questions on immigration and constitutional reform, between 15 and 30 per cent said they were undecided.

Canseco reviewed Question 8 with Kent Morrison of CTV Your Morning Edmonton. At 58 words, it is the longest item on the ballot. It asks: “Do you support the Government of Alberta working with the governments of other willing provinces to amend the Canadian Constitution to allow provinces to opt out of federal programs that intrude on provincial jurisdiction such as health care, education, and social services, without a province losing any of the associated federal funding for use in its social programs?”

“I think people are … a little bit undecided, not really certain where to go, and it’s part of the confusion that we see with some of the other questions,” Canseco told Morrison. He said the word “intrude” carries a negative connotation and can frame the federal government’s role in a particular way.

“It essentially says to somebody who’s reading this question, ‘Your government provincially knows more than the federal government because the federal government is intruding,’” Canseco said. All but the separation question require a yes-or-no answer. Each question asks voters whether they “support the government of Alberta” on the issue raised.

Canseco said the wording may also have been designed to seek endorsement. He noted that the government has not made a decision on the proposal in Question 8, but is asking for permission to approach Ottawa or other provinces.

“What’s complicated about this, as well, is this isn’t something that the government has decided. They’re looking for the actual permission from respondents to see if they can have an opportunity to talk to the (federal) government or to talk to other willing provinces. So you’re voting on a wish list on a wish list,” he told Morrison.

Alberta’s referendum is scheduled for Oct. 19. Elections Alberta has said staff at voting stations will not be available to explain what the questions mean. In response to earlier concerns about their complexity, the Alberta government pointed to a website with additional information on each topic. The report included files from CTV Your Morning Edmonton’s Kent Morrison.

Based on reporting by CTV News Edmonton.