Alberta voters reject separation referendum as count continues

Canadian Prime Minister Mark Carney has welcomed Alberta's decisive rejection of a move towards independence, saying the province had chosen national unity at a time of mounting pressure from Washington. "On October 19, Albertans made a clear choice. They chose unity, to build together, and to take care of each other.

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Above all, Albertans chose Canada," Carney said in a statement on Tuesday. With more than one million votes counted, 77% backed remaining in Canada, according to unofficial results from Elections Alberta. Monday's vote was not a direct ballot on independence.

A win for the separatists would instead have set the western province on a path towards a binding referendum on leaving Canada. The result is a boost for Carney, who grew up in Alberta and had urged a decisive outcome as US President Donald Trump wages a trade war against Canada and threatens to make it the 51st US state. Alberta, a conservative stronghold with the world's fourth-largest proven oil reserves, has long resented the federal government in Ottawa, largely over the management of its oil industry.

Earlier reporting on this story — 20 Oct 2026 · 07:32

CBC has projected that voters in Alberta have overwhelmingly rejected a proposal to begin a process that could eventually lead to separation from Canada. With more than 1 million votes counted early Tuesday, about 76% backed remaining in Canada, while 23% supported starting the legal process toward a possible future separation vote. The result marks a clear setback for separatist campaigners and a political win for Prime Minister Mark Carney and other supporters of Canadian unity.

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The ballot was not a direct independence referendum, but it asked Albertans whether the province should remain in Canada or begin a legal process that could lead to a second vote. It was one of 10 questions on the provincial ballot, alongside issues including immigration, healthcare, education and Alberta's constitutional powers. Elections Alberta said the remaining ballots could take days to count, and delays at about 100 of the province's 1,400 polling stations pushed the release of results back by more than two hours.

The vote has drawn national attention because Alberta is one of Canada's most economically important provinces and a central part of the country's energy sector. In the days before polling, federal and provincial figures campaigned for unity, with Carney warning that a vote against Canada would create years of uncertainty and lost opportunities. Conservative leader Pierre Poilievre, whose parliamentary seat is in Alberta, also urged voters not to back separation, saying Canadians were more than a government and represented a people, a flag, a land, a history and a promise.

The result also reflects the depth of political division that has surrounded the issue in Alberta for months. The province has long had a strained relationship with Ottawa over revenue sharing, energy policy and the role of fossil fuel resources in the national economy. Supporters of separation have argued that Alberta has been held back by federal policy, while opponents have stressed the legal and economic risks of any move toward independence.

The referendum campaign was shaped by a grassroots petition drive that helped force the issue onto the provincial agenda, as well as by a court ruling that blocked a pro-separation petition because it did not consult Indigenous First Nations whose land would be affected. First Nations groups criticised the decision to let the vote proceed, while separatist campaigners argued the ballot should be treated as a serious test of public support. The issue also crossed party lines, with former premiers Jason Kenney and Rachel Notley appearing together to oppose separation.