Alberta votes to stay in Canada with 76 per cent backing unity

Alberta will remain a province of Canada. Nearly 75.5 per cent of voters backed that choice Monday, with a clear rejection of the independence push that had dominated provincial politics for months.

Prime Minister Mark Carney spoke with Premier Danielle Smith on Tuesday morning before addressing reporters in Ottawa. Carney and Smith discussed the situation at CFB Wainwright before moving to cooperation on immigration and shared priorities. "It's a great day for Canada," Carney said. "(I'm) thrilled that Albertans have chosen unity. They've chosen to build together."

As of Tuesday morning, the "remain in Canada" option held 75.5 per cent of counted votes, with official results due by Thursday, October 29.

The referendum also included nine other questions on immigration policy, voting requirements, Senate reform, and provincial-federal power balance. Immigration measures performed worse in Edmonton than across the province, with only three Edmonton ridings — Edmonton-Castle Downs, Edmonton-McClung, and Edmonton-West Henday — posting majority "yes" votes on non-permanent resident health and education premiums, and margins in those ridings remained thin.

Grand Chief Trevor Mercredi of Treaty 8 First Nation cautioned that the referendum's outcome does not end the separatist movement. "We're going to have to be careful in how we move forward, and we'll be watching every step of the way," Mercredi said. Chief Samuel Crowfoot of Siksika Nation framed the result differently: "This result is not only a victory, but it's also a reminder that our treaties, our rights, and our voices matter."

HighOnCity reported in May that Prime Minister Carney had delivered a Canada Day message in Edmonton about national unity, followed by a pro-Canada campaign rally at the Expo Centre in mid-October.