Alberta votes to remain part of Canada in historic independence referendum

Alberta residents voted to remain part of Canada in the province's first-ever referendum on separation, CBC News said late Monday, in a much-needed win for Prime Minister Mark Carney as he attempts to unify the country amid an ongoing trade war with the US.

Oil-rich Alberta was holding a nonbinding referendum on Monday on whether the western province should secede from Canada, a debate many believe will not be settled by what is widely expected to be a defeat for the separatist cause.

Pollsters and analysts had repeatedly dismissed the possibility of a separatist victory, citing data that showed about one-third of residents in the Western province supported having a future referendum over leaving the province.

Polls have consistently shown that a majority of Alberta voters oppose splitting from Canada. Economic grievances have fueled the independence campaign in the province, which is home to 5 million people and is slightly smaller than Texas but has one-sixth of the US state's population.

Many Alberta separatists believe the Liberal Party-led federal government in Ottawa has constrained the Conservative-governed province's oil industry through environmental policies, and that Alberta, the country's energy heartland, contributes more to Canada's economy than it receives in return.

"Canada has an imbalanced system which feeds the central population and government at the expense of the outlying producing provinces such as Alberta," said Cory Morgan, founder of a pro-separation advertising organization called Pathway to Independence.

Carney, who grew up in Alberta, spent much of the past week campaigning for the "stay" side, urging supporters to vote and appealing to national pride.