Residents of Alberta, Canada’s oil-rich western province, voted overwhelmingly on Monday, October 20, against holding a future referendum on separating from Canada, according to projections from CBC and CTV.
In a test vote on the country’s unity amid an ongoing trade war with Washington, Alberta voters faced two options on their ballots: remain within Canada or give their provincial government a mandate to organize a binding independence referendum.
Overwhelming Majority Backs Unity
According to initial projections, supporters of remaining in Canada won by a wide margin with more than 76 percent of the vote, while backers of a referendum promoted by the separatist movement received roughly 23 percent.
The result represents a victory for Canadian Prime Minister Mark Carney, who grew up in Alberta and toured the province last week to urge supporters of national unity to turn out in large numbers.
“Canada is worth fighting for… Vote for Canada,” he said again on Monday.
A Test for National Unity
The vote was closely watched as a gauge of Canadian unity at a time of economic tension with the United States. Alberta, a major oil-producing province, has long been home to a vocal separatist movement, but Monday’s result showed that support for a breakaway referendum remains a minority position.
Supporters of the separatist movement had hoped to secure a mandate to hold a binding vote on independence, but the decisive margin in favor of staying in Canada appears to have closed that path for now.
