Oil-rich Alberta votes against separation from Canada

Voters in Canada’s oil-rich Alberta province on Monday voted against a proposal to begin the process of separating from the country.

Early results released by its provincial election body on Tuesday showed that 77 percent of more than one million votes counted supported remaining in Canada, while 23 percent backed initiating the separation process.

The referendum was not a direct vote on independence. A vote in favour of the proposal would have paved the way for a future referendum on whether Alberta should leave Canada.

The result is a boost for Prime Minister Mark Carney, who has called for national unity amid a trade dispute with the United States and President Donald Trump’s threats to annex Canada.

In a statement reacting to the outcome, Carney said Albertans had chosen unity and cooperation.

“Albertans made a clear choice,” he said. “They chose unity, to build together, and to take care of each other. Above all, Albertans chose Canada.”

He added that the outcome would allow the country to strengthen its trade relationships, develop major infrastructure projects and expand its position as a global energy powerhouse, with Alberta playing a central role.

In an X post on Tuesday, Alberta Premier Danielle Smith also welcomed the preliminary results, saying they reflected support for a stronger province within a united Canada.

Smith, who opposed independence but called the referendum amid growing pressure from separatists within her governing United Conservative Party, said she would address the province on Tuesday evening to discuss the results and Alberta’s future.

“Albertans have voted for a stronger Alberta in a united Canada,” Smith said in a social media post.

Thomas Lukaszuk, a former deputy premier who led the Forever Canadian campaign against separation, said the outcome demonstrated that the country remains united.

“We are a solid country that’s united from coast to coast to coast,” he told supporters.

However, Keith Wilson, a leader of the separatist movement, said the figures could change as more votes were counted, adding that a significant number of Albertans believe the province is not being treated fairly.

Separatist advocates have maintained that their campaign has grown beyond a fringe movement, despite the proposal’s apparent rejection.

Alberta, which holds some of the world’s largest proven oil reserves, is a conservative stronghold with a long history of tensions with the federal government in Ottawa. Its political culture has often been associated more closely with the American West than with other parts of Canada.

Although dissatisfaction with the federal government has fuelled calls for provincial autonomy, it has not traditionally translated into widespread support for independence.

Former Alberta premier Jason Kenney said separatist parties historically attracted only about one or two percent of the vote. He attributed the growth of the movement partly to anger over COVID-19 restrictions, which helped mobilise activists who later embraced the independence campaign.

Trump’s trade policies and threats to make Canada the 51st US state have also become central to the debate, helping Carney rally support for national unity in a province where Liberal prime ministers have traditionally been unpopular.

Carney had urged Albertans to deliver a decisive vote against separation during a rally in Edmonton, where he grew up, on Friday.

“Vote like Canada’s future depends on it, because it does,” he said.

Despite the preliminary outcome, separatist campaigners have suggested that the issue could remain a source of political tension in Alberta.(TheCable)