Alberta Votes on Whether Provincial Law Should Outrank Federal Law

Canadian law currently follows federal primacy: when a federal statute and a provincial statute conflict, the federal one governs. CBC reports that as part of the referendum this October, Alberta's provincial government wants to change that — putting the question of who wins such conflicts to voters. That is a notable thing to ask in a federation where the answer has usually been settled by the courts rather than the ballot, and it makes an abstract constitutional convention into an election issue.