Albertans voted to remain in Canada in the province's first referendum on separation, a key victory for Prime Minister Mark Carney amid a trade war with the U.S. and national unity challenges.
With 75% of votes counted as of 5:45 a.m. Tuesday, 76% of Albertans voted to remain in Canada. Only 24% supported separation, though the referendum was nonbinding.
"Albertans made a clear choice," Carney said in a statement. "They chose unity, to build together and care for each other."
"Canada is greater than the sum of its parts," he said.
Pollsters and analysts dismissed the possibility of a separatist victory in Monday's vote, citing data showing only about one-third of residents in the energy-rich western province supported a future referendum on separation.
Alberta Premier Danielle Smith, who announced the referendum in May, said in a statement she was "very pleased" that early results showed widespread support for remaining.
Smith said she would address Albertans at 6:45 p.m. Tuesday to discuss "where our province goes from here."
A small but vocal group of separatists campaigned for months for an independent Alberta, arguing the province's energy wealth subsidized poorer Canadian provinces and that it would be far richer free of Ottawa's bureaucracy.
Last week, Carney told a rally in Calgary that voting to leave Canada would be "a dangerous bluff that will lead to years of deep division."
There was no immediate reaction to the vote's outcome from President Donald Trump, who repeatedly talked about the U.S. annexing Canada. U.S. Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent, discussing Alberta in January, said, "I think we should let them come down into the U.S."
Monday's vote was the second time in two weeks that Carney faced a separatist challenge. An independence-minded party won power in French-speaking Quebec on Oct. 5 but fell short of the majority needed to fulfill a vow to hold a vote on separation.
Quebec held referendums on independence in 1980 and 1995, but both failed.
Carney, who grew up mostly in Alberta, acknowledges Albertans often feel slighted by Ottawa. He noted his government fast-tracked a proposed new pipeline with Alberta and the federal government as majority owners. He also pointed to Alberta's critical role in helping Canada reduce its dependence on the U.S.
First Nations groups also objected to the idea of an independent Alberta, as their land treaties with Ottawa predate the province's creation within Canada.
Independence movement to carry on
The result is unlikely to end the independence movement. Before the referendum, some separatist leaders said they would continue to pursue another vote even if most Albertans wanted to remain.
According to data released Oct. 16 by pollster Angus Reid, 62% of Albertans believe "there will never be an end to the separatist movement."
The vote Monday also included nine other nonbinding questions on proposed measures to strengthen the province's hand when dealing with Ottawa.
These covered immigration, access to provincial services – such as education, social care and health care – and voter identification requirements.
Provisional results showed voters backed eight of the nine measures, but some with only slim majorities.