Alberta Rejects Separation: 76.6 Percent Vote to Stay in Canada
Early returns as of 0630GMT, with 1,961 of 5,587 polling stations counted, put 76.6% of voters, or 946,632 people, on the side of remaining in the country. Another 288,879 voters, or 23.4%, backed starting the process of separation.
The question put to voters read: “Should Alberta remain a province of Canada, or should the Government of Alberta commence the legal process required under the Canadian Constitution to hold a binding provincial referendum on whether or not Alberta should separate from Canada?”
Prime Minister Mark Carney hailed the outcome in a statement. “Albertans made a clear choice. They chose unity, to build together, and to take care of each other,” he said.
He added that the result meant Albertans and all Canadians “will move forward together with renewed purpose and high ambition.” He also said: “Canada is so much greater than the sum of its parts,”
Premier Danielle Smith, who leads the oil- and gas-rich province, said she was “pleased” that residents rejected secession. She thanked Albertans for taking part in the “critically important referendum.”
Roughly 1.36 million people voted through advance and special voting channels, according to Elections Alberta, the provincial election agency.
The ballot carried 10 questions in total. The first nine covered immigration and constitutional issues, while the last dealt with Alberta’s future within Canada.
The vote carries no binding force and does not by itself decide whether Alberta leaves the Canadian federation.
Elections Alberta said ballots will be counted by hand, starting with the separation question. Unofficial results are due within 48 hours of polls closing, and official results are scheduled for Oct. 29.
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