Voters in Canada’s Alberta have overwhelmingly rejected a proposal to begin the process of independence, delivering a decisive victory for supporters of Canadian unity and deepening divisions within the separatist movement.
With nearly 1.9m votes counted, roughly 76% people supported remaining in Canada, while 24% backed beginning a process toward separation, according to unofficial results from Elections Alberta.
The Canadian prime minister, Mark Carney, who grew up in Edmonton, Alberta’s capital, celebrated the result.
“Albertans made a clear choice. They chose unity, to build together, and to take care of each other. Above all, Albertans chose Canada.”
He said the result would allow Canadians to move forward together and accelerate efforts to diversify trade, develop major infrastructure projects and make Canada a global energy powerhouse, with Alberta at its centre.
The results showed an overwhelming majority of Albertans had voted to remain and one radio show host posted: “Someone owes Albertans $130m for this theatrical waste of taxpayers’ money.”
Pollster David Coletto told the Guardian that residents felt the referendum was “a distraction away” from what they wanted their government to focus on.
“There was almost a general sadness about the wasted energy spent on this rather than the more real threats they see, including the Trump administration,” he said. “Most Albertans feel deep grievances with the federal government while also being proudly Canadian. The marriage may be rocky at times, and most Albertans want to see some thing changed, but very few are willing to see the marriage end.”
The province’s separatists, however, saw a silver lining. “We don’t have the final results. I think the numbers are going to fluctuate, but it is fair to say that at least a quarter of Albertans feel that Alberta needs to be treated better,” said Keith Wilson, a leader of the separatist movement.
Others took a different view of the results. “The result is bleak. Independence feels far away and we should not pretend this was not a defeat, however, it changes nothing about the reality of the circumstances Albertans find themselves in,” David Parker, a longtime far-right organiser linked to a massive breach of voter information, wrote on social media.
The Alberta premier, Danielle Smith, welcomed the early results, saying they showed widespread support for remaining in Canada. “Albertans have voted for a stronger Alberta in a united Canada,” Smith posted on social media.
Even though the vote was not explicitly about independence – a point that frustrated separatists – the ballot question nonetheless exposed divisions in Alberta’s politics and raised questions about the durability of national unity.
Delays at roughly 100 of the 1,400 at polling stations across the province pushed results back by more than two hours, but shortly after polls closed on Monday evening the results suggested a decisive win for those looking to remain in Canada.
The separation question – whether to remain in Canada or begin a legal process that could lead to a second vote – was one of 10 put to Albertans on Monday. The others covered issues including immigration, healthcare, education and the province’s constitutional powers. Elections Alberta said the remaining results could take days to count.
In the days leading up to the vote, provincial leaders and federal politicians crisscrossed the province to make the case for a unified country.
Carney warned against a vote from residents of the oil-rich province simply looking to “send a message” to the federal government. “A vote against Canada is a dangerous bluff that will lead to years of deep uncertainty and lost opportunities for Albertans and Canadians,” he told an energetic crowd last week.
The Conservative leader, Pierre Poilievre, whose parliamentary seat is in the province, told a crowd of supporters that Albertans were not “quitters”.
“To those people who are thinking about taking out their frustration on the current government by voting for separation in the referendum, I say this: Canada is more than a government,” he said. “It is a people, a flag, a land, a history and a promise.”
Data from Elections Alberta indicated roughly 43% of eligible voters – or 1.3 million Albertans – had already cast ballots before Monday’s vote through advance voting and mail-in ballots. That figure pointed to a potentially higher turnout than the province’s last referendum in 2021.
Smith’s tenure as leader of the United Conservative party is due in large part to separatists within the party who ousted her predecessor, Jason Kenney. In recent months she has tried to placate both the separatists and federalists in the party, in a province where a majority is not interested in secession.
The referendum became a political liability for Smith’s party, whose popular support has tumbled in recent months, including with the loss of a one-time conservative stronghold in a by-election.
Still, members of the separatist movement told the Guardian they would continue their push for independence. And in the aftermath of the results, one prominent separatist leader said he would push for a special general meeting of the party to remove Smith.
Jeffrey Rath told Global News that the Alberta independence will remain nothing but a dream long as Smith, whom he called an “avowed federalist” remains in power. He said it was time for separatists to “take back ownership” of the UCP.
In an interview before the results, the Calgary mayor, Jeromy Farkas, a staunch opponent of the independence movement, said the city’s “best future is here, as a Canadian city”, amid fears that uncertainty could lead to capital flight.
“I am Canadian because I’m Canadian, not in a transactional way and regardless of the flavour of prime minister,” Farkas said. “And I’m going to continue to make the case for how our future is strongest together, because no result will permanently put this to bed. “The separatist movement sees this as a long-term project.”
