Alberta Votes to Remain in Canada as Early Results Show Strong Support for Unity
At 0630 GMT, preliminary results from 1,961 of the province’s 5,587 polling stations showed that 76.6% of voters, representing 946,632 people, supported remaining in Canada. Meanwhile, 23.4%, or 288,879 voters, backed starting the process that could lead to separation.
The ballot asked residents: "Should Alberta remain a province of Canada, or should the Government of Alberta commence the legal process required under the Canadian Constitution to hold a binding provincial referendum on whether or not Alberta should separate from Canada?"
Prime Minister Mark Carney welcomed the projected outcome, saying: "Albertans made a clear choice. They chose unity, to build together, and to take care of each other,"
He added that Albertans and Canadians as a whole "will move forward together with renewed purpose and high ambition."
"Canada is so much greater than the sum of its parts," he said.
Alberta Premier Danielle Smith, who leads the oil- and gas-producing province, also welcomed the result. She said she was "pleased" that voters had rejected secession and thanked residents for taking part in what she described as the "critically important referendum."
Provincial election officials reported that approximately 1.36 million residents had voted through advance polling and special voting arrangements.
The ballot contained 10 questions. The first nine dealt with immigration and constitutional issues, while the final question addressed whether Alberta should remain part of Canada.
The referendum is advisory rather than binding, meaning its outcome does not itself determine the province’s constitutional status or trigger separation from the country.
Elections Alberta said ballots would be counted manually, with votes on the separation question tallied first. Unofficial results were expected within 48 hours of the polls closing, while the official results were scheduled to be released on Oct. 29.
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