Alberta rejects path to separation vote as Carney hails Canadian unity

Alberta voters rejected a proposal on Monday, October 19, to begin a process toward a future vote on leaving Canada, according to reported results from the province. Prime Minister Mark Carney welcomed the outcome, while separatist leaders said their campaign would continue.

With more than one million votes counted, 77% backed remaining in Canada, Euronews reported, citing unofficial Elections Alberta results. CBS News put support for remaining at about 76%, against 23% for starting the process toward separation. The figures were reported during the count, rather than as final certified totals.

Carney and Alberta campaigners respond

In a statement on Tuesday, October 20, Carney said Albertans had chosen unity. ‘Above all, Albertans chose Canada,’ he said, according to Euronews. Alberta Premier Danielle Smith, who opposes independence, described the result as a choice for a stronger Alberta within a united Canada, Euronews reported.

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.’ 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,’ Euronews quoted him as saying.

Why Alberta held the separation vote

Alberta’s oil industry has long been a source of tension with the federal government. Euronews reported that Smith has accused Carney’s predecessor, Justin Trudeau, of trying to curb oil production for his climate agenda. Smith opposed independence but called the vote under pressure from separatists within her United Conservative Party, the outlet reported.

Before voting began, Deutsche Welle reported that opinion polls suggested the proposal was unlikely to pass, although separatist leaders hoped a sizeable vote in their favour would put pressure on Ottawa. The result follows an earlier NewsJaws report that described the ballot while voting was underway; the outcome was not yet known then.