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Alberta voters backed staying in Canada in the province’s first referendum on separation, handing Prime Minister Mark Carney a political boost as he seeks to unite the country amid a trade war with the US.
CBC News projected a victory for the “remain” side late Monday, with about a third of votes counted. At that stage, 76% supported staying in Canada, while 23% backed moving towards a binding separation vote. The referendum itself was nonbinding.
“Albertans made a clear choice,” Carney said in a statement. “They chose unity, to build together, and to take care of each other.” “Canada is greater than the sum of its parts,” he added.
SMITH WELCOMES EARLY RESULTS
Alberta Premier Danielle Smith, who announced the referendum in May, said she was “very pleased” that early results showed widespread support for remaining in Canada. She said she would address residents on Tuesday about the outcome and the province’s next steps.
When announcing the vote, Smith had said it was time to establish Albertans’ views on separation and move on.
Pollsters and analysts had considered a separatist victory unlikely. Surveys indicated that about a third of residents supported holding a future referendum on leaving Canada.
Separatist campaigners argue that Alberta’s energy wealth subsidises poorer provinces and that federal bureaucracy holds back its economy. A small but vocal movement has spent months making the case for independence.
CARNEY HAD WARNED AGAINST ‘DANGEROUS BLUFF’
At a rally in Calgary last week, Carney called a vote to leave Canada “a dangerous bluff that will lead to years of deep division”. He urged residents to “vote like Canada depends on it”.
Carney, who grew up mostly in Alberta, acknowledged that residents had often felt overlooked by Ottawa. He pointed to his government’s approval of a proposed pipeline and said the province was central to reducing Canada’s dependence on the US.
Alberta’s vote follows two separation referendums in Quebec, where voters chose to remain in Canada on both occasions.
First Nations groups have also opposed Alberta’s separation, citing land treaties with Ottawa that predate the province’s creation.
CBC reported strong First Nations turnout. A polling station serving an area that includes the Siksika Nation temporarily ran out of ballots and stayed open past 10 pm local time so everyone in line could vote.
SEPARATISTS VOW TO KEEP PUSHING
The result is unlikely to settle the issue. Before the referendum, some separatist leaders said they would pursue another vote even if the majority backed remaining in Canada.
An Angus Reid poll released on October 16 found that 62% of Albertans believed “there will never be an end to the separatist movement” in the province.
Voters also answered nine other nonbinding questions covering immigration, access to provincial services, including healthcare and education, and voter identification requirements. Those results were still coming in.
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