Albertans roundly reject separation, vote 75 per cent in favour of remaining in Canada

Albertans have overwhelmingly backed their province to remain in Canada, with around three-quarters of votes counted so far rejecting the pursuit of a second binding separation referendum, show preliminary results from Elections Alberta.

Counting continues Tuesday morning after initial results of the 10-question referendum weren’t published until near 11 p.m. Monday night due to extended voting hours at some polling stations that had experienced delays.

As of near 6 a.m. Tuesday, the count revealed that just over 1.3 million voted for Option 1 on Question 10 for Alberta to remain in Canada, amounting to 76 per cent of 1,772,911 ballots cast in person.

Option 2, which called on the provincial government to begin the process of holding a second, binding secession referendum drew 423,356 votes in support, or 24 per cent of all of Monday’s ballots.

Some 1.35 million votes had already been cast in advance or special ballots.

Final voter turnout can’t yet be calculated, but Elections Alberta said before voting day that it anticipated more than 80 per cent of the 3.1 million eligible voters would cast ballots.

As of early Tuesday, counting also remained ongoing for the other nine questions with close to nine million valid votes cast across all questions.

In late-night statements both Alberta Premier Danielle Smith and Prime Minister Mark Carney hailed the pro-Canada’s side resounding win.

“I’m very pleased to see the initial results from Elections Alberta show widespread support for remaining in Canada,” Smith posted at 11:49 p.m. Monday.

“Thank you to all Albertans who took time to vote on these critically important referendum questions.”

Smith is also expected to hold a televised address to Albertans on Tuesday evening to discuss her government’s next steps following the vote.

Carney said the results meant Albertans and Canadians could move on with a “renewed purpose and high ambition.”

“Albertans made a clear choice. They chose unity, to build together, and to take care of each other,” he wrote.

“Above all, Albertans chose Canada.”

Federalist supporters echoed those messages in saying the late-night result was one for all Canadians to celebrate.

“It not only sends a very clear message to Premier Danielle Smith that we do not need another referendum, but also sends a message to the rest of Canada that Alberta will not be the weak link in Confederation,” Forever Canadian leader and former deputy premier Thomas Lukaszuk told Postmedia at a watch party late Monday night.

“We Albertans are as proud to be Canadians as any other Canadian across the country, but perhaps most importantly, it will send a very strong message to the rest of the world: Don’t mess with Canada.”

Federal Emergency Management Minister, and Edmonton Centre MP, Eleanor Olszewski said more work remains to be done to mend the relationship between Ottawa and Alberta.

“We know that today is not the finish line. Things aren’t over once the votes are counted.”

In a short social media post, Alberta Official Opposition Leader Naheed Nenshi looked ahead to the coming provincial election which must be held within the next 12 months.

“We saved Canada,” he wrote. “Now, we save Alberta.”

Former Conservative cabinet minister, Medicine Hat MP, and leader of “Vote to Stay”  advertiser Monte Solberg said the result showed clear opposition to separation.

“Albertans have spoken loud and clear, voting overwhelmingly to stay in Canada and reject separation,” Solberg wrote in a statement.

“Alberta’s future is about building a stronger province alongside our fellow Canadians, not breaking our country apart.”

Despite the decisive defeat, separatist supporters vowed their fight would continue.

“We’re Albertans. We roll up our sleeves and we go back to work, right?” Alberta Prosperity Project lawyer Jeffrey Rath told Postmedia.

“It demonstrates that we have a lot more work and a lot more education to do.”

Rath added that many members of Smith’s governing United Conservative Party support separation and would be eyeing to usurp her at the party’s coming convention at the end of next month in Calgary.

“The hundreds of thousands of us that support Alberta independence are going to start working tomorrow to replace Danielle Smith as leader of the UCP,” he said.

“I mean she’s basically stabbed all of us in the back. We are her base, right?”

— With files from Steve Sandor, Cindy Tran and Liam Newbigging