Voters in Alberta, Canada’s oil-rich province, on Tuesday overwhelmingly chose to remain in the country, giving Prime Minister Mark Carney a boost in his push for national unity as US President Donald Trump’s trade war and annexation threats rally Canadians around their flag.
With about 90% of voting areas counted, 75% backed staying in Canada, according to unofficial results from Elections Alberta.
“Don’t mess with Canada. President Trump is watching this,” said Thomas Lukaszuk, a former Alberta deputy premier who led the Forever Canadian campaign against separation.
The referendum was not a direct vote on independence. A “yes” result would have set Alberta on a path toward a later vote on leaving Canada.
Carney: “A great result for Canada”
“It’s a great result for Canada that Albertans have chosen unity,” Carney told reporters in Ottawa before a Cabinet meeting on Tuesday.
He argued that the quarter of voters who supported starting the separation process did not all necessarily want independence. In his view, only a smaller “hard core” favours leaving. Some voters have said they backed the question to send Ottawa a message rather than to break away.
Carney said he spoke with Alberta Premier Danielle Smith on Tuesday morning about the results and about closer federal-provincial cooperation, including on immigration.
Some voters said they backed the separation question without wanting Alberta to leave. Edmonton voter Shawn Campbell said he voted to begin the process to send a message: “It sends a message to Ottawa that Albertans are not happy.”
Others criticised the vote itself. Dave Malka, 59, of Edmonton, objected to spending money on a “referendum on a referendum” rather than on healthcare. With Trump threatening Canada, he said, “It seems to be happening at the absolute worst time when we should be united. Instead, we’re fighting among ourselves.”
If you need to cut for length, drop Malka’s healthcare point and keep only the Campbell quote. If you’re running long-form, the full section is fine, and you can restore Khowaja.
Alberta premier rules out another referendum
In a televised address Tuesday night, Smith welcomed the outcome and promised not to call another separation referendum while she is premier.
“Yesterday, Albertans voted overwhelmingly in favour of remaining a province of Canada,” Smith said. “The voter turnout was historic and a powerful testimony of the passion Albertans feel for our country and our province.”
She said Alberta would keep pushing Ottawa for more provincial autonomy, but that disputes would be resolved through Canada’s political and legal institutions, not through separation.
Thomas Lukaszuk, a former Alberta deputy premier who led the Forever Canadian campaign against separation, told supporters: “Don’t mess with Canada. President Trump is watching this.”
Separatists concede defeat, but not the cause
Meanwhile, Alberta separatist organiser David Parker acknowledged the scale of the loss.
“Independence feels far away, and we should not pretend this was not a defeat,” he wrote on social media.
Still, separatist leaders insisted they would carry on. At a referendum-night gathering at an Edmonton restaurant, the crowd fell silent as the results came in.
“We’re not going anywhere,” said Jeff Rath of the Alberta Prosperity Project. “We’ve dominated the conversation in the last year. We’ve been educating Albertans on the benefits of independence, and we’re going to continue moving forward.”
Rath had said before the vote that he would be thrilled with 30% support. He also said he wanted Smith removed as leader of the United Conservative Party (UCP) and believed the party could splinter, possibly producing a new pro-independence party.
From fringe cause to lasting movement
Alberta is home to the world’s fourth-largest proven oil reserves. It is cowboy country and a conservative stronghold, with a political culture that has long had more in common with the American West than with much of Canada. Resentment toward the federal government in Ottawa runs deep, but it has not traditionally translated into broad support for independence.
Former Premier Jason Kenney noted that separatist parties historically drew only 1% or 2% of the vote. He said anger over COVID-19 restrictions helped mobilise activists who later embraced the separatist cause.
Trump’s trade war and his threats to make Canada the 51st U.S. state have helped Carney build support in Alberta, a province where Liberal prime ministers have historically been unpopular.