Alberta Voters Reject Separation From Canada

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Updated on 10/21/2026

Alberta Voters Reject Separation From Canada

Albertans overwhelmingly voted to remain in Canada, rejecting a proposal to hold a binding separation referendum. Prime Minister Mark Carney and Premier Danielle Smith said the result affirmed unity while highlighting ongoing provincial concerns.

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conservative

Key Trends Emerging From Alberta’s 10-Question Referendum

Support for remaining part of Canada in the Oct. 19 referendum was strongest in Alberta’s major cities, as polls had predicted. But the preliminary results also reveal other notable patterns in how Albertans voted. About 75 percent of Albertans voted against separation, while 25 percent supported holding a binding referendum on separation, according to preliminary results as of the evening of Oct. 20, with 90 percent of voting locations reporting. Outside Edmonton and Calgary, support for holding a separation referendum reached 34 percent, compared with less than 20 percent in the province’s two major cities. Two rural electoral divisions had more votes against remain than for: Central Peace-Notley in northern Alberta, and Rimbey-Rocky Mountain House-Sundre in the central part of the province, each with 51 percent voting against remain.

5 hours ago

conservative

Premier Smith Says Referendum Gives Alberta Mandate to Pursue Immigration and Constitutional Changes

Alberta Premier Danielle Smith says the Oct. 19 referendum results have given her government a mandate to work towards giving Alberta more control over immigration and public services, as well as pursuing constitutional reforms. Preliminary results indicate that a majority of Albertans voted “Yes” on eight of the nine referendum questions unrelated to separation, while about three-quarters voted “No” on Question 10, which asked whether to hold a separation referendum.

7 hours ago

conservative

Anthony Furey: What Alberta’s Referendum Results Tell the Rest of Canada

Commentary Look a little closer at the Alberta election referendum results and you’ll see a strong rebuke of federal government policy. On Oct. 19, Albertans voted a decisive “no” to holding a binding referendum on separating from the rest of Canada. But that doesn’t mean all is now well and we can continue with business [...]

9 hours ago

conservative

Poilievre ‘Thrilled’ With Referendum Result, Says ‘Real Results’ Needed to Convince Separatists to Remain

Conservative Leader Pierre Poilievre says he is “thrilled” Albertans voted to remain in Canada, while calling for national unity amid renewed separatist movements in Alberta and Quebec. Poilievre spoke to reporters in Calgary on Oct. 20, a day after Albertans voted to remain in Canada in a referendum that also asked them to weigh in […]

13 hours ago

conservative

Carney Says He’s ‘Thrilled That Albertans Have Chosen Unity’

Prime Minister Mark Carney praised Albertans for overwhelmingly voting to remain in Canada in the Oct. 19 referendum, saying they had chosen to “move forward together.” “It’s a great result for Canada, I’m thrilled that Albertans have chosen unity,” Carney told reporters in Ottawa on Oct. 20. “They’ve chosen to build together, they’ve chosen to continue to take care of each other, to move forward together with purpose, high ambition.” Carney said he spoke with Alberta Premier Danielle Smith early on Oct. 20 about the referendum results, and said they agreed to move forward “in the spirit of co-operative federalism,” including on issues of immigration and “other common priorities.”

16 hours ago

conservative

Alberta Votes Overwhelmingly to Remain Part of Canada in Referendum

Albertans voted overwhelmingly to remain a part of Canada in Monday’s independence referendum, an outcome that had been consistently indicated by polling.

a day ago