Province of Canada rejects independence in separatist referendum

Ovoters from the province of Alberta, in western Canada, rejected a proposal to initiate a process towards independence, according to the results released this morning.

The outcome represents a victory for Prime Minister Mark Carney and the defenders of the Canadian unit, in a scenario marked by trade war and threats of annexation by President Donald Trump.

The vote was not a direct referendum on independence, but it would have put Alberta, a province rich in oil, on a path that could lead to a future vote on the separation of Canada.

With more than one million votes cast, about 76% supported the stay in Canada, while 23% advocated the start of a process that could result in separation.

“ We are a solid country, united from coast to coast,” said supporters Thomas Lukaszuk, Alberta’s former deputy prime minister, who led the ‘Forever Canadian’ campaign against separation.

The dissemination of the results was delayed due to the late opening of more than 100 voting tables on Monday, which forced the voting time in these assemblies to be extended.

Over 1.35 million inhabitants of Alberta, 43% of the registered electorate, voted in advance or through special ballots.

Alberta's voters decided whether they would stay in Canada or start a legal process that could lead to a second vote on the separation.

Alberta, which houses the fourth largest proven oil reserves in the world, is a “cowboy” culture region and a conservative bastion. Its political culture has more in common with the West of the United States than with much of Canada.

The resentment towards Ottawa is deep, but traditionally it has never translated into widespread support for independence.

Despite the failure of the proposal, separatist leaders claim that they have turned a marginal cause into a movement that will not disappear.

Canadian Prime Minister Mark Carney had urged the inhabitants of Alberta to give a decisive vote for unity.

“ Vote as if the future of Canada depended on it, because it really depends,” he said during a rally last Friday in Edmonton, where he grew up.

Alberta's Prime Minister called for the referendum under pressure from the separatists within the United Conservative Party, although she herself opposed independence. Danielle Smith quoted a survey showing only 22% support for separation, a rate which, according to her, is still too high.

According to former provincial prime minister Jason Kenney, separatist parties traditionally attracted only 1% or 2% of the votes.

Kenney explained that indignation at the restrictions imposed during the covid-19 pandemic helped mobilize activists who later joined the separatist movement.