Against independence referendum: Alberta wants to remain Canadian

According to media reports, the majority of voters in the western Canadian province of Alberta voted against a referendum on independence from Canada. Voters should decide whether their province should remain part of Canada or whether a process should be initiated that leads to a legally binding further referendum on secession and the path to national independence.

As broadcasters CBC and CTV News reported, after more than a million votes were counted, about 76 percent were in favor of remaining in Canada, while 23 percent were in favor of starting a process that could lead to secession. According to the electoral authority, the final result will be published on October 29th. A total of 3.1 million people were eligible to vote.

A victory for Prime Minister Carney too

“Canada is worth fighting for,” wrote Prime Minister Mark Carney on the online service X. “Go to the polls today, vote for Canada.”

Polls showed only a quarter of Alberta's approximately five million residents supported independence. Carney, who grew up in Alberta, had already called on supporters of Canadian unity to take part in the vote in order to prevent the separatists from winning. It's about "the future of our country," he explained.

Economic interests

The non-binding referendum was called by Alberta's Conservative Prime Minister Danielle Smith after a judge stopped a planned citizens' referendum over constitutional concerns. Although Smith had declared that she would vote against independence, there are also strong forces in favor of secession within her party's ranks. Many separatists believe that the central Liberal government in Ottawa is hindering the oil industry through its environmental policies.

Alberta, with its large cities of Edmonton and Calgary, is considered to have a relatively strong economy; the province contains the majority of Canada's proven oil reserves, which are considered the fourth largest in the world.

Trump is also interested

The independence movement in Alberta, which was still insignificant a few years ago, has now also aroused the interest of US President Donald Trump, who has repeatedly talked about making Canada the 51st federal state of the USA. The separatists were welcomed at the Foreign Ministry in Washington a few months ago, and US tech entrepreneur Elon Musk spoke out in favor of the province's separation from Canada at the beginning of October.