In a referendum on October 19, about 77% of residents of the Canadian province of Alberta voted to remain part of the country. 23% supported a movement towards independence.
This is reported by CBC News, citing preliminary estimates.
The referendum asked whether Alberta should remain a province of Canada, or whether the local government should begin the legal process to hold a mandatory referendum on secession in the future.
That is, todayʼs vote in itself did not mean Albertaʼs immediate departure from Canada. A victory for independence supporters would only start a process that would lead to a new referendum on independence.
CBC writes that this result was a political victory for Canadian Prime Minister Mark Carney, who urged Albertans to vote against secession.
The referendum ballot included ten questions, including on immigration, social services and provincial powers. The final results are expected to be announced by the Alberta Election Commission on October 29.
Alberta became the second Canadian province to hold a referendum on possible secession from Canada, following Quebec, which held two independence referendums in 1980 and 1995.
- Alberta is an oil-rich Canadian province of about 5 million people. For decades, there has been a small separatist movement there, the Alberta Prosperity Project, which advocates for provincial independence. However, it has never had any real political power.
- In January, the Financial Times, citing sources, reported that representatives of the administration of US President Donald Trump had met several times with representatives of the Canadian separatist movement. Trump has proposed that Canada become the 51st state of the United States several times. The countryʼs authorities have rejected such proposals.
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