Albertans have voted decisively to remain part of Canada, rejecting a path toward separation in the province’s first-ever independence referendum.
Unofficial results from Monday’s vote showed about 76 per cent backing the option for Alberta to remain a province of Canada, with roughly 24 per cent supporting the start of the legal process toward a future binding referendum on separation, according to reports. More than 1.4 million votes were counted.
A clear choice, but not the end
Question 10 on the ten-question ballot asked voters to choose between Alberta remaining in Canada and the provincial government commencing the legal steps required by the constitution for a later binding separation vote. The result was not binding, and official results are due on October 29, according to reports.
Prime Minister Mark Carney welcomed the outcome, saying Albertans had made a “clear choice” in favour of unity, according to reports. Public broadcaster CBC and private network CTV both projected a comfortable victory for the remain side.
Separatist leaders vowed to fight on, warning the province’s governing party could split over the issue, according to reports. The vote followed months of debate over Alberta’s place in Canada, fuelled by long-standing grievances over energy policy and sharpened by tariff threats and annexation talk from Washington.
What comes next
Alberta’s government said it would now turn its focus to renegotiating energy and fiscal arrangements with the federal government, according to reports. For Carney, who has made national unity a central theme, the result is a significant political win, but with nearly one in four voters backing the separatist path, the grievances that brought Alberta to this vote have not gone away.
Turnout was strong, with more than a million ballots cast in advance voting alone, according to reports. Beyond Question 10, voters weighed nine other non-binding questions on immigration, access to provincial services including education, social care and health care, and voter identification requirements, according to reports.
