Canadian Prime Minister Mark Carney says residents of Alberta have made a clear choice to remain part of Canada after early projections indicated that the province had rejected holding a binding referendum on independence.
National broadcaster CBC projected the outcome after polls closed, indicating that Albertans had voted against proceeding with a referendum that could have led to the province separating from Canada.
“Alberta chose Canada,” Carney said in response to the projected result.
The vote followed a campaign over Alberta’s relationship with the federal government, with separatists arguing that Ottawa had consistently overlooked the interests of the oil-rich province.
Alberta holds the world’s fourth-largest oil reserves, making its economic relationship with the rest of Canada a central issue in the independence debate.
The campaign also exposed divisions among residents over the province’s future.
One voter said. “I don’t even consider myself to be Canadian anymore,” while another described the ballot as “a turning point in Canada’s history.”
Indigenous Albertans had also spent months opposing the proposed referendum, arguing that separation from Canada would violate existing land treaties.
The projected rejection represents a setback for separatist campaigners seeking a binding vote on Alberta’s independence.
Final results were still awaited following CBC’s early projection.
Erizia Rubyjeana
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