Oil-Rich Alberta Votes to Stay in Canada in Historic Referendum
Albertans have rejected a proposal to move toward a separation from Canada, according to early results of the referendum held on Monday, as voters gave the federal government a boost to national unity.
Residents of Canada’s oil province have voted to remain in Canada, CBC News projects based on the early results with still more than half of the votes to be counted.
The results of the counted votes, however, show that more than 76% of voters cast the vote that ‘Alberta should remain a province in Canada’ in the 10th question in the 10-question referendum. A total 23% of voters voted for the ‘referendum’ option under which “the Government of Alberta should commence the legal process required under the Canadian Constitution to hold a binding provincial referendum on whether or not Alberta should separate from Canada.”
The early results showed an overwhelming support for Alberta to remain in Canada.
Following the announcement of the first results, Alberta’s Premier Danielle Smith said a ‘thank you’ post on Instagram: “I’m very pleased to see the initial results from Elections Alberta show widespread support for remaining in Canada. Albertans have voted for a stronger Alberta in a united Canada.”
Smith said she would address Albertans on Tuesday evening “to discuss the results of all referendum questions for which results are available, and where our province goes from here.”
Canada’s federal Prime Minister Mark Carney said early on Tuesday that “Albertans made a clear choice. They chose unity, to build together, and to take care of each other.”
Carney added, “Above all, Albertans chose Canada.”
“Canada is so much greater than the sum of its parts,” Carney said, adding that “Canada is securing new trade partners around the world, fast-tracking major, nation-building projects in every part of the country, and unleashing our full potential as a global energy superpower with Alberta at its core.”
Early this month, the federal government designated a new oil pipeline to the West Coast, which Canada and Alberta are advancing in partnership, a project of national interest, which would fast-track development.
The ambition of Alberta and Canada to export additional volumes of crude oil to destinations in Asia to reduce the high dependence on exports to the United States has prompted the provincial government to propose the new 1 million-barrels-per-day oil pipeline to the British Columbia coast.
