Question 10: Alberta’s Referendum and Its Implications

Please note this dinner is taking place in Calgary and is from 5:00 pm to 8:30 pm Mountain time.

Alberta's October 19, 2026 referendum will put ten questions to voters, including whether the province should begin the constitutional process toward a binding vote on separation from Canada. The result of this referendum will have significant consequences for Canadian social, political, and economic policy and will deeply affect the lives of every Albertan family, business, and community. 

The C.D. Howe Institute invites you to a timely evening of evidence-based discussion on what's actually at stake - and what comes next, whatever the outcome. This dinner brings together a distinguished group of speakers for short presentations on the referendum, Alberta's place in Confederation, and the path to a stronger federation.

The evening will be held off-the-record under Chatham House Rule.

Please follow this link to register individually or contact Tammy Trepanier, Senior Event Planner, ttrepanier@cdhowe.org.

Member $249 | Non-Member $999 | Table of 8 $1,999.

The Honourable Jason Kenney, Senior Advisor, Bennett Jones

The Honourable Jason Kenney recently completed a distinguished twenty-five year career in public service.  In his twenties he built the Canadian Taxpayers Federation into one of Canada's most influential advocacy groups, serving as its President and CEO. He was elected to Parliament in 1997, and was re-elected six times with an average of 76% of the vote.  He served in key opposition roles, including Shadow Finance Minister. As a senior member of the Harper government, he led some of the largest federal departments as Minister of Citizenship, Immigration and Multiculturalism; Minister of Employment and Social Development; and Minister of National Defence, while chairing the influential Cabinet Operations Committee. The National Post called him "perhaps Canada's best immigration minister, ever." In 2016 Jason launched a successful campaign to unite Alberta’s free enterprise parties, going on to win a landslide majority to become Alberta’s eighteenth Premier. His government focused on the successful renewal of Alberta’s economy, while working with Indigenous people to create economic opportunity. Jason holds two honourary doctorates and was voted "best overall parliamentarian" by his colleagues. He now serves as a Senior Advisor at Bennett Jones LLP, and BMO, is a Senior Fellow of the C.D. Howe Institute, and is a member of several corporate boards.

The Honourable Janice MacKinnon, former Saskatchewan Finance Minister

Janice MacKinnon is a Fellow of the Royal Society of Canada, a member of the Order of Canada, and a former Saskatchewan Finance Minister. She has a PhD and M.A. from Queen’s University and an Honours B.A. from the University of Western Ontario She is the author of three books and many articles on public policy issues.  She has also served as the Chair of the Board of the Institute for Research on Public Policy, as a board member of the Canada West Foundation and was on the advisory board of the Global Affairs Institute. As a cabinet minister in Saskatchewan, she held various portfolios including Minister of Finance, Minister of Social Services, Minister of Economic Development, and Government House leader. From 2010 to 2015 she served as Chair of Canada’s Economic Advisory Council.  In 2017 she was appointed to the federal advisory panel on NAFTA and the environment and served as Co-Chair of the Manitoba Advisory Panel on Fiscal Performance.  In 2019 she chaired the Blue-Ribbon Panel on Alberta’s Finances.   In 2023 she was appointed Vice-Chair of the Saskatchewan Economic Assessment Tribunal.  She is also on the board of directors of Alberta Pensions Services Corporation, is a professor of fiscal policy at the School of Public Health at the University of Saskatchewan, an Executive Fellow at the University of Calgary School of Public Policy and a Senior Fellow and Member of the National Council at the C.D. Howe Institute. In June 2026, the government of Alberta appointed her to the 5 member Advisory Panel on the Potential Impacts of Alberta separatism.

Alex J. Pourbaix, Board Chair and former CEO of Cenovus

Mr. Pourbaix has been a member of the Cenovus Board since November 2017, when he was also appointed President & Chief Executive Officer of Cenovus. He was appointed Executive Chair of the Board of Directors in April 2023 upon stepping down as President & Chief Executive Officer. He transitioned to Board Chair in May 2025.

Mr. Pourbaix has been a director of NRG Energy Inc., a publicly traded energy and home services company, since November 2023; and Canadian Utilities Limited, a publicly traded diversified global energy infrastructure corporation, since 2019.

Mr. Pourbaix served as the President & Chief Executive Officer of Cenovus from November 2017 to April 2023 where he was instrumental in strengthening Cenovus’s balance sheet, implementing a disciplined capital allocation framework and reducing costs. He led the company’s strategic acquisition of Husky Energy, which closed in January 2021, and also helped co-found Pathways Alliance, now known as the Oil Sands Alliance. Mr. Pourbaix was also a director of Trican Well Service Ltd., a publicly traded oilfield services provider, from May 2019 to December 2019. Prior to joining Cenovus, Mr. Pourbaix spent 27 years with TC Energy and its affiliates in a broad range of leadership roles, including Chief Operating Officer, where he was responsible for the company’s commercial activity and overseeing major energy infrastructure projects.

Mr. Pourbaix is Board Chair of the Business Council of Alberta and the Alberta Regional Board of Nature Conservancy Canada. He was previously Chair of the Mount Royal University Board of Governors, the Board of Governors at the Canadian Association of Petroleum Producers (CAPP), the Canadian Energy Pipeline Association, and also served as Vice-Chair and a board member of the Business Council of Canada. In 2022, Mr. Pourbaix was awarded the Queen’s Platinum Jubilee Medal in recognition of the contributions he has made to Alberta.

Mr. Pourbaix earned Bachelor of Laws and Bachelor of Arts degrees from the University of Alberta.

Mr. Pourbaix is a non-independent director and is not currently a member of any Board committees. As Board Chair, Mr. Pourbaix provides overall leadership to enhance the effectiveness of the Board, the committees of the Board and the individual directors of the Board.

Adam Waterous, Managing Partner & Chief Executive Officer, Waterous Energy Fund

Prior to founding Waterous Energy Fund in January, 2017, Adam served as Global Head of Investment Banking and Head of Energy and Power, North America at Scotiabank, where he was responsible for all of Scotiabank's global Equity and Advisory activities and Scotia Waterous.

Under Adam’s leadership from 2005 to 2016, Scotia Waterous was among the most active advisors in the oil and gas acquisition and divestiture market with transactions roughly evenly split between Canada, the United States and other countries.

Adam co-founded Waterous & Co., a predecessor firm to Scotia Waterous, in September 1991 where he was a member of the firm's Executive Committee and the head of the firm. Scotia Capital acquired Waterous & Co. in 2005.

Before co-founding Waterous & Co., Adam worked in the Mergers and Acquisitions department with First Boston Corporation in New York and in management consulting with McKinsey & Company in Toronto.

Adam has been active in many industry, community, health, arts, and education organizations. In 2013, Adam was awarded the Queen Elizabeth II Diamond Jubilee Medal for his contributions to the community and, along with his wife Jan, the Queen Elizabeth II Platinum Jubilee Medal in 2022 for their work in advancing sustainable transportation solutions in their hometown of Banff. In 2017, Adam received the Lifetime Achievement Award from the Oil and Gas Council. Adam received the 2019 Lefaivre Award, presented to an individual each year by the United Way of Calgary for exceptional volunteer service and community involvement.

Adam is a Member and serves on the Board of the Horatio Alger Society of Canada. Adam serves on the Advisory Board of the Fairfax Centre for Free Enterprise at Huron University.

Adam is Executive Chairman of Waterous Energy Fund portfolio companies Strathcona Resources and Greenfire Resources.

Adam holds an Honours Business Administration degree from the University of Western Ontario and a MBA from Harvard Business School. Being in the top five percent of his class at Harvard, he was designated a Baker Scholar.

Dr. Lisa Young, Professor of Political Science, University of Calgary

Lisa Young is a professor of Political Science at the University of Calgary, and a long-time observer of Alberta politics. She has published extensively in the field of Canadian politics, authoring/co-authoring several books, including Rebuilding Canadian Party Politics, Feminists and Party Politics, and Advocacy Groups. She is also co-author of For the Public Good: Reimagining Arts Graduate Programs in Canadian Universities.  In addition to her academic research, she has written about Alberta politics for The Guardian, Alberta Views magazine, The Tyee and The Conversation Canada, and on her substack “What Now? An Alberta Politics Newsletter” (lisayoung.substack.com). Much of her current research focuses on Alberta politics.