Victoria for Carney: Alberta rejects independence referendum of Canada

Alberta rejects independence referendum of Canada October 20, 2026 After tallying the results of 61% of the polling stations in Alberta, 76% of the province's voters have rejected initiating the secession process of Canada, according to provisional data published this Tuesday (10/20/2026) by the public body Elections Alberta. At 2:51 local time in Alberta (08:51 GMT), Elections Alberta recorded 1,184,018 votes in favor of the province remaining in Canada, while another 373,053, 24%, supported initiating the constitutional procedure to hold a binding future referendum on independence. After the Canadian public broadcaster, CBC, projected the No vote in the referendum on Monday, Canadian Prime Minister Mark Carney celebrated the result in a statement released this Tuesday, in which he affirmed that the inhabitants of Alberta had made "a clear decision". "They chose unity, to build together and take care of each other. Above all, the inhabitants of Alberta chose Canada," the official stated. He added that although the scrutiny of the ten questions put to a vote continues, the results on separation will allow Alberta and the rest of Canada to move forward together "with a renewed purpose and great ambition". Less than a quarter want independence, according to polls Polls indicated that less than a quarter of the population of the western province wants independence. The Alberta electoral authority noted that 1.4 million of the 3.1 million eligible inhabitants cast their vote in advance. "It was incredible to see the enthusiasm and determination of the Canadians," said Thomas Lukaszuk, who leads Forever Canadian, the group that campaigned for national unity throughout the province. The Premier of Alberta, Danielle Smith, a conservative, said she voted against independence but called the referendum to settle a question that has divided the province. Alberta, among Carney, Trudeau, Trump, Elon Musk... Carney, who grew up in Alberta, had described the holding of the referendum as a "dangerous" sign for national stability, while American President Donald Trump is waging a trade war and does not stop issuing annexation threats. Alberta holds the world's largest proven oil reserves, and the province's separatist impulse has aroused sustained interest among Trump's allies. Elon Musk, the richest person in the world and a leading supporter of Trump, posted on X this month that Alberta "should separate". Separatist leaders have also held meetings in the US Department of State and have interviewed Republican politicians. Most of the separatist impulse in Alberta is due to dissatisfaction with the management of the energy sector by Ottawa. Many inhabitants of Alberta rejected Carney's successor, Justin Trudeau, whom they accused of trying to curb oil production to advance his climate agenda. "If you want to point out who is responsible for the separatist sentiment, I think it is Justin Trudeau," Premier Smith stated on the Canadaland podcast this month. Don't let the algorithm hide the news. If you trust this site for reliable information, please take a moment to select us as your preferred source on Google: click here and check the box or press the DW.com button to always see our verified news in your preferences. rml (afp, efe, ap, updated at 12:25 CET)