Early returns from Alberta’s Oct. 19 vote showed about 76% backing the province’s place in Canada, a preliminary result on a nonbinding separation question in a major oil-producing region.
The Associated Press reported that Elections Alberta’s early count had passed 1.5 million votes. Nearly 24% supported beginning the process for a later binding referendum on separation. The figures are an early snapshot, with verification still to come.
One of the referendum’s 10 questions presented a choice between remaining a Canadian province and having its government start the constitutional process for a future separation vote. Elections Alberta says the answer to that question is nonbinding; this vote cannot itself change Alberta’s status.
The Canada Energy Regulator puts Alberta’s 2023 crude oil output at an average of 4.3 million barrels a day, or 84% of Canada’s total. That makes the province’s political future significant to the country’s energy sector.
Prime Minister Mark Carney said in an Oct. 20 statement that Albertans “chose unity.”
Elections Alberta said the count remains unofficial while results are verified. It plans to announce official results Oct. 29 at noon ET (16:00 UTC).
