Alberta rejects plan for referendum to leave Canada

Hind Al Soulia - Riyadh - EDMONTON — Voters in Canada’s Alberta have overwhelmingly rejected a proposal to begin a process toward independence, delivering a victory for Prime Minister Mark Carney and supporters of Canadian unity.

With more than 1 million votes counted early on Tuesday, about 77% supported remaining in Canada, compared with 23% who backed beginning a process that could lead to separation, according to unofficial results from Elections Alberta.About a third of ballots had been counted.

Carney welcomed the results, saying the province had chosen national unity at a time of mounting pressure from Washington.

"On October 19, Albertans made a clear choice. They chose unity, to build together, and to take care of each other. Above all, Albertans chose Canada," Carney said in a statement on Tuesday.

Monday’s vote was not a direct ballot on independence. A win for the separatists would instead have set the western province on a path toward a binding referendum on leaving Canada.

The result is a boost for Carney, who grew up in Alberta and had urged a decisive outcome as US President Donald Trump wages a trade war against Canada and threatens to make it the 51st US state.

Alberta, a conservative stronghold with the world’s fourth-largest proven oil reserves, has long resented the federal government in Ottawa, largely over the management of its oil industry. Premier Danielle Smith has accused Carney’s predecessor, Justin Trudeau, of trying to curb oil production to advance his climate agenda.

Separatist parties once won only 1 or 2 per cent of the vote, but anger over COVID-19 restrictions helped energise the movement.

Smith opposes independence but called the referendum under pressure from separatists within her United Conservative Party.

"Albertans have voted for a stronger Alberta in a united Canada," she posted on social media.

The separatist campaign drew interest from Trump’s allies. US Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent described Alberta as a natural partner for the United States, and billionaire Elon Musk posted on X that the province should separate. Separatist leaders also met officials at the US State Department.

Thomas Lukaszuk, a former deputy premier who led the Forever Canadian campaign against separation, told supporters: "We are a solid country that’s united from coast to coast to coast."

Separatists insist their cause is not finished. Jeffrey Rath, a leader of the Alberta Prosperity Project, said the push for independence would continue.

"We’ve learned a lot of lessons from this fight," he said.