Premier Danielle Smith has restated the governing United Conservative Party's pro-Canada position as a post-referendum dispute raises questions about party unity ahead of the next provincial election.
Peter Guthrie, leader of the Progressive Tory Party of Alberta and a former Alberta cabinet minister, predicted Smith's leadership would not withstand the strains inside the UCP, The Canadian Press reported. Guthrie assessed that the result angered federalists and separatists, leaving Smith with a wider base of opposition than support, the outlet said. The Canadian Press also reported that the UCP removed Guthrie from its caucus after he criticized the government's handling of a health-care procurement scandal.
In a video message to UCP members, Smith said, “The United Conservative Party is not an independence party.” She urged members who want the party to organize around independence to find another political home and warned that internal division could cost the UCP the next provincial election.
The Oct. 19 ballot did not ask voters to decide separation directly. It asked whether Alberta should stay in Canada or start the legal process for a future binding provincial referendum on separation. Order in Council 160/2026 specified that the result of this vote would not be binding. The Canadian Press reported preliminary results showing about 75% voted to remain in Canada. An earlier Associated Press snapshot cited more than 1.9 million ballots counted, with 90% of voting areas and locations reporting.
Smith said in a May address that she would vote for Alberta to remain in Canada while proposing the referendum question. She has also ruled out another separation vote while premier and called for party unity. The next provincial election is scheduled for Oct. 18, 2027, The Canadian Press reported.
Elections Alberta, the province's election agency, has scheduled its official results announcement for Oct. 29.
