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Alberta voters have overwhelmingly backed remaining part of Canada in a referendum on the oil-rich province’s separation, delivering a major setback to separatists supported by allies of US President Donald Trump.
Preliminary results released on Tuesday showed more than 76% of voters supporting national unity after roughly one-third of the votes had been counted, according to estimates by public broadcaster CBC and private network CTV.
Canadian Prime Minister Mark Carney criticised the timing of the vote, calling it “the most inopportune” moment. He stressed the need for national stability as Trump pursues a trade war and threatens to bring other territories under US control.
Jeffrey Rath, a leading figure in the separatist Alberta Prosperity Project, told reporters that efforts to establish an independent Alberta would continue regardless of the result.
“We learned a lot from this fight,” he said.
Some separatist supporters expressed disappointment. Jur Dane, 40, said he would consider leaving Alberta and moving to the United States if the province remained part of Canada.
Before the results were announced, supporters of national unity gathered in Edmonton, where a band played music at a campaign event. Thomas Lukaszuk, head of the Forever Canadian group, said it was encouraging to see such enthusiasm and determination among Canadians.
Alberta Premier Danielle Smith said she had voted against independence but called the referendum an attempt to find a lasting solution to an issue that has divided the province. She said a victory for national unity would put the question of separation to rest.
Oil wealth and foreign influence
Alberta holds the world’s fourth-largest oil reserves. Much of its separatist movement has grown out of anger over how the oil industry is regulated.
Smith has blamed former prime minister Justin Trudeau for fuelling separatist sentiment, accusing his government of trying to undermine Alberta’s oil production in pursuit of its climate-friendly agenda.
The independence movement has also attracted sustained interest from Trump allies. US Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent has described Alberta as a “natural partner” for the United States, while billionaire Elon Musk, one of Trump’s prominent supporters, wrote on X this month that Alberta “should separate”.
Separatist leaders have met officials at the US State Department and received advice from Republican political activists.
Carney, who grew up in Alberta and took office last year, has worked to improve relations between the province and the federal government in Ottawa.
Together with Smith, he has pursued a proposal for a new pipeline to export bitumen, a type of crude oil, from Alberta to overseas markets. Such a project had been considered unfeasible during Trudeau’s tenure.
Mitch Sylvestre, a leader of the Alberta Prosperity Project, said on Monday that Carney had threatened the province during the final days of the referendum campaign. He characterised Carney’s message as suggesting that voting against Canada was dangerous, calling the position “extremely unreasonable”.
Meanwhile, 44-year-old Edmonton voter Hailey Erdegard said she was uncomfortable with claims by some separatists that Alberta was being forced to share a large portion of its oil revenues with other parts of Canada.
“I think we need to work on strengthening the areas where we can cooperate before making any rash decision about creating our own country,” she said.
