Voters in Alberta have chosen to remain part of Canada in a first-ever independence referendum.
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Voters → choose → referendum
Canadian state broadcaster CBC News called the results of Monday’s vote late on the same day after 48 percent of the ballots counted showed overwhelming support for the “remain” side, with 76 percent opting to stay with Canada.
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percent → call → Canada
The result marks a major win for Prime Minister Mark Carney, who is facing a trade and political war with the United States amid US President Donald Trump’s higher tariffs and repeated suggestions of annexing the country.
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who → mark → country
On his way into a cabinet meeting on Tuesday morning, Carney called it a “great day.”
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Carney → call → it
“I’m thrilled that Albertans have chosen unity.
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Albertans → ’m → unity
They’ve chosen to build together.
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They → choose → ?
They’ve chosen to continue to take care of each other, to move forward together with purpose,” he said.
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he → choose → purpose
But the result also comes as a disappointment for those Albertans seeking independence for the resource-rich region following years of grievances laid at Ottawa’s door.
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result → come → door
Here’s what we know:
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we → ’ → what
The nonbinding referendum was first announced in May following a campaign and petition by a group of Albertans who want to be an independent country.
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who → announce → Albertans
While only about one-third of Albertans were found to be pro-independence in polls, Alberta Premier Danielle Smith argued in her announcement that a referendum was necessary to respect the 300,000 Albertans who had petitioned officials for it.
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who → find → it
In the referendum, voters answered 10 questions, including whether the government should begin a binding process to seek independence from Canada.
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government → answer → Canada
They also answered questions on immigration, access to provincial services like education, social care and healthcare, and voter identification requirements.
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They → answer → education
Prime Minister Carney had campaigned for Albertans to vote “remain”, saying last week at a rally in Calgary that separation would be “ a dangerous bluff that will lead to years of deep division”.
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that → campaign → division
“There are some outside our borders who are working to break us so they can own us,” he said.
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he → be → us
Researchers have pointed to possible online influence campaigns by both Russian and US entities that helped amplify the call for separation and allegedly shared misleading information.
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that → point → information
Alberta PM Smith told media in August that the online activity was under observation.
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activity → tell → observation
Prime Minister Carney, who grew up in the region, said “Albertans made a clear choice” in a statement he made early on Tuesday.
“They chose unity, to build together, and to take care of each other,” he said, adding that “Canadians will move forward together with renewed purpose and high ambition.”
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Canadians → grow → purpose
Alberta’s Premier Smith said she was pleased to see the results and that “Albertans have voted for a stronger Alberta in a united Canada.”
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Albertans → say → Canada
Separatist leaders from the groups Let Alberta Decide, the Alberta Prosperity Project and the Pathway to Independence said they will wait for all votes to be counted before conceding.
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votes → let → Independence
First Nations groups turned out in strong numbers to vote to remain with Canada, with one southern Alberta polling station in an area home to the Siksika Nation temporarily running out of ballots, local media reported.
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media → turn → ballots
Why is Alberta important, and why are there calls for independence?
Many Albertans have long complained that their critical natural resources are funding the government in Ottawa and the commercial hubs of Toronto and Montreal, but that the province does not receive proportionate benefits.
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province → complain → benefits
The province, with a population of 5.1 million, holds massive oil deposits.
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province → hold → deposits
It also holds reserves of critical and rare-earth metals including lithium, titanium and zircon, which are essential for manufacturing many tech items, from smartphones to fighter jets.
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which → hold → jets
Separatist movements, some of which even support Alberta joining the US, go back to the 1940s, following the discovery of oil reserves.
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Alberta → support → reserves
Some of Alberta’s premiers have had spats with Ottawa over wealth distribution.
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Some → have → distribution
US President Trump has made remarks about Canada becoming a US state in recent months.
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Canada → make → months
Last week, he told a political rally in the US state of Arizona that Canada will “end up being the 51st state, because it’s the only way it works”.
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it → tell → Arizona
The two countries have been embroiled in a trade war since talks fell apart in August this year and they slapped each other with tit-for-tat tariffs.
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they → embroil → tariffs
Earlier this month, tech billionaire Elon Musk called for Alberta, Saskatchewan and Quebec to separate from Canada, saying “they’d be better off”.
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they → call → Canada
But the matter of Alberta’s independence gained intense scrutiny last year after pro-separatists launched a petition to pressure the government.
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separatists → gain → government
Alberta, alongside other western provinces of British Columbia, Saskatchewan and Manitoba, have all complained about “western alienation” by the government in the centre.
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Alberta → complain → centre
With separatism agitations running so far back, experts say the referendum will likely not end the movement altogether.
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referendum → run → movement
Ahead of the vote, some separatist leaders said they would pursue another referendum if necessary, arguing that the referendum shows that independence is legally possible.
“Regardless of what happens on Monday, we’ve already won,” Keith Wilson, co-leader of Let Alberta Decide, said at a rally last week.
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Alberta → say → rally
The Aporia
