- Voting went overtime in Alberta’s separation referendum Monday night, but that didn’t stop the parties from getting started.
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that → go → parties
Elections Alberta said more than 100 locations were staying open past the scheduled 8 p.m. closing time.
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locations → say → time
Those stations, for various reasons, opened late in the morning.
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stations → open → morning
The agency said it can’t release unofficial results until the last poll closes at 10:10 p.m.
In Edmonton, pro-Canada and pro-separation forces gathered to take in the results.
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forces → say → results
At the Polish Hall in the downtown, Thomas Lukaszuk’s Forever Canadian campaign greeted guests with a full orchestra playing a cheeky “Mission Impossible” theme to take the starch out of their separatist opponents.
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campaign → greet → opponents
Some wore the Canadian flag as a cape.
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Some → wear → cape
Forever Canadian Pale Ale, created as part of the campaign, was available at the bar.
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Ale → create → bar
Eight blocks away, separatist supporters booked two floors of an Italian restaurant to watch the results come in.
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results → book → restaurant
They munched on pizza and sipped beers and cocktails.
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They → munch → beers
Large blue Alberta flags were pinned to a staircase and a wall.
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flags → pin → staircase
Jeffrey Rath, one of the leading figures in Alberta’s the separatist movement, said the supporters were feeling upbeat about the vote.
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supporters → lead → vote
Just before most polls closed, a voice in Premier Danielle Smith’s United Conservative Party caucus calling for a separation referendum announced he won’t run for re-election next year.
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he → close → election
Jason Stephan, representing Red Deer South, said on social media that eight years in the legislature is enough and that he did his best to speak the truth.
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he → represent → truth
He wrote that Canada continues to badly lag behind other developed countries.
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Canada → write → countries
“The status quo is not the right way for Albertans,” he said.
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he → say → Albertans
“Empty words and platitudes do not make it otherwise.”
Stephan’s public stance forced Smith into some pretzel-style arguments over how her caucus could be pro-Canada while harbouring separatists.
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caucus → make → separatists
Smith said the position of the caucus — and party — is clear but that there’s room for diverse opinions.
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position → say → opinions
About 1.3 million Albertans already cast ballots by mail and at advance polling stations.
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Albertans → cast → stations
They’re voting on 10 questions, the key one being whether Alberta should stay in Canada or whether it’s time to hold a second, binding referendum on leaving Confederation.
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it → vote → Confederation
In Calgary, voters bustled in and out of Grace Presbyterian Church.
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voters → bustle → Church
Scott Hill, donning a baseball cap with a maple leaf, said he’s respectful of everyone’s opinion.
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he → don → opinion
But his vote was to stay.
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vote → stay → ?
“People are angry, I can see that.
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I → see → that
But we’re Canadian, we need to stand together,” he said, noting his grandfather fought in the Second World War.
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grandfather → ’re → War
“This is without a doubt the most important vote I’ve ever done.”
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I → do → doubt
Jeff Sparks was one of several voters who said they hope the remain-in-Canada vote wins.
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vote → say → Canada
“And that this puts the situation to bed and that we don’t really have to hear about this anymore,” he said.
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he → put → this
Shawn Campbell said he voted for the province to start the process toward a binding referendum — even though he doesn’t want the province to separate and doesn’t believe it ever will.
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it → say → referendum
“It sends a message to Ottawa that Albertans are not happy.”
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Albertans → send → Ottawa
Smith’s United Conservative Party government didn’t campaign on holding a separation vote in the last provincial election in 2023.
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government → campaign → 2023
But some Albertans’ anger with the state of affairs under former Liberal prime minister Justin Trudeau boiled over into hundreds of thousands signing petitions, both for and against Confederation.
A referendum, Smith has said, is necessary to resolve the matter once and for all.
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Smith → boil → all
The remaining nine referendum questions involve immigration and constitutional issues.
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questions → remain → immigration
The immigration questions ask Albertans whether the province should have more say on who comes to the province to work and whether it’s time to put more limitations — and perhaps introduce fees — on some who arrive and seek access to health care and education.
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who → ask → care
The constitutional questions ask Albertans for a blessing to pursue talks with other provinces on wresting power from the federal government and abolishing the Senate.
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questions → ask → Senate
Smith has said those nine questions are meant to give leverage in the province’s negotiations with Ottawa.
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questions → say → Ottawa
The premier said she voted to stay in Canada but needs a yes to the other nine questions to get a mandate to bargain for a better deal with Carney.
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she → say → Carney
In Calgary, voter Amneet Mann characterized some of the questions as anti-immigrant.
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Mann → characterize → questions
“I just don’t think that’s what this country stands for,” she said.
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she → think → what
“I think it’s crazy that we’re here, and we have to make that known.”
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that → think → ?
Carney came to Alberta last week to rally pro-Canada forces but also to agree to disagree with Smith.
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Carney → come → Smith
…and 5 more, not listed.
The Aporia
