Alberta, Canada's oil- and gas-rich western province, has firmly stayed with Canada in its first-ever referendum on separation. The Express Tribune, citing Reuters, reported that Monday's vote hands Prime Minister Mark Carney a much-needed win as he tries to hold the country together amid a trade war with the United States.
By Tuesday morning, with three-quarters of the votes counted, 76% had backed remaining in Canada, while 24% supported holding a binding vote on separation. The referendum itself was non-binding.
'Albertans chose unity'
"Albertans made a clear choice," Carney said in a statement, adding that they had chosen unity and that Canada "is greater than the sum of its parts." At a rally in Calgary last week, he had warned that voting to leave would be "a dangerous bluff that will lead to years of deep division."
Alberta Premier Danielle Smith, who announced the referendum in May, said she was "very pleased" that early results showed broad support for staying in Canada. She said she would address Albertans on Tuesday evening about where the province goes from here.
Separatist movement set to carry on
A small but vocal separatist campaign has argued for months that Alberta's energy wealth subsidises poorer parts of Canada and that the province would be far richer on its own. Before the vote, some separatist leaders said they would keep pushing for another referendum whatever the result. Pollster Angus Reid found that 62% of Albertans believe the separatist movement will never end.
There was no immediate reaction from US President Donald Trump, who has repeatedly talked about annexing Canada. It was the second separatist challenge for Carney in two weeks: on October 5, an independence-minded party won power in French-speaking Quebec but fell short of the majority needed to deliver on its promise of a vote on leaving Canada.