The residents of the oil-rich province of Alberta rejected, by an overwhelming majority, secession from Canada, reinforcing the efforts of Prime Minister Mark Carney to achieve national unity in light of the trade war launched by US President Donald Trump and his threats to annex parts of the oil-rich western province.
After counting more than 1.5 million votes, 76 percent supported remaining within Canada, while about 24 percent supported starting the secession process, according to unofficial results issued by the Alberta Elections Authority.
The referendum was not a direct vote on independence, but rather approval would have put Alberta on a path toward a subsequent referendum on secession from Canada.
“Albertans have made a clear choice,” Carney said. They chose unity, building together, and caring for one another. Above all, Albertans chose Canada.” He added that the outcome will allow Canadians to move together and accelerate efforts to diversify trade, develop major infrastructure projects, and make Canada a global energy powerhouse, with Alberta at its heart.
“Canada is a country far greater than the sum of its parts,” Carney added, noting that Alberta and Canada “will move forward together, with renewed resolve and great ambition.” Alberta Premier Danielle Smith, who called for the referendum amid pressure from separatists within her United Conservative Party, welcomed the initial results, saying they showed broad support for remaining within Canada. “Albertans voted for a stronger Alberta in a united Canada,” she wrote on social media. She announced that she would deliver a speech to the province's residents about the results and the future of Alberta.
Former Prime Minister Jason Kenney said secessionist parties had traditionally attracted only 1 or 2 percent of the vote. He added that anger over Covid-19 restrictions contributed to the mobilization of activists who later joined the separatist movement.
"We are a cohesive and united country from ocean to ocean," former Alberta Deputy Premier Thomas Lukaszuk, who led the anti-secession campaign Canadians Forever, told supporters.
However, separatists in Alberta saw this as a positive aspect. One of the leaders of the separatist movement, Keith Wilson, said: “The final results have not been announced yet. "I think the numbers are going to fluctuate, but it's fair to say that at least a quarter of Albertans feel like Alberta needs to be treated better."
Despite the proposal's apparent failure, separatist leaders said they had turned a fringe issue into a movement that would not fade away.
The results were delayed after the delayed opening of polling stations forced more than 100 centers to extend voting hours on Monday.
American culture
Alberta, home to the world's fourth-largest proven oil reserves and with a population of 5 million, is a rural area and a conservative stronghold whose political culture has long been more similar to the American West than to most parts of Canada. Dissatisfaction with Canada's federal government is rooted in Ottawa, but has not traditionally translated into widespread support for independence.
Trump's trade war and his threats to make Canada the 51st US state contributed to Carney's popularity in Alberta, where Liberal premiers have long been unpopular.
Some prominent separatist leaders traveled to Washington, D.C., three times last year, seeking support during meetings with officials from the US State Department.
Unlike Quebec, which held two failed referendums on secession from Canada, separatism has long been a minority opinion in Alberta. However, opponents of secession were concerned before the vote that voters might support a second referendum to express their dissatisfaction with the province's relationship with Canada, even if they did not want to secede.
