This nonbinding referendum settles the debate but not the grievances.
Alberta Voters Reject Separation From Canada as Carney Wins
Bloomberg comments Alberta Voters Reject Separation From Canada as Carney Wins
With about 1.2 million votes counted, about 76% were in favor of remaining in Canada, enough for the Canadian Broadcasting Corp. to project victory for that side. The other option on the ballot was to support starting a legal process that could eventually lead to a second referendum on independence.
Premier Danielle Smith called the referendum in May after separatist organizers collected hundreds of thousands of names on a petition that asked for a vote. She advocated for staying in the country, though opinion surveys showed supporters of her United Conservative Party are divided on the matter. That tension may play out in the coming months, as she and others have warned of a potential split within the governing party.
“I’m very pleased to see the initial results from Elections Alberta show widespread support for remaining in Canada. Albertans have voted for a stronger Alberta in a united Canada,” Smith said in a statement. She said she would make a live address to the province on Tuesday evening.
The resource-rich province of 5 million people produces more than 4 million barrels a day of oil and ships the bulk of it to refineries in the US, helping to make energy Canada’s largest category of exports. The region has been the epicenter of anger about former Prime Minister Justin Trudeau’s environmental policies, which restricted energy development and sought to promote renewables over fossil fuels.
Since taking power more than 18 months ago, Carney has reversed or changed a number of Trudeau’s signature policies — canceling a consumer carbon tax, loosening emissions rules and focusing the government on attracting more investment.
The prime minister, who grew up in Alberta, also made a series of pacts with Smith. The Canadian government agreed to back a new 1 million-barrel-a-day oil pipeline to the west coast as a project in the “national interest.” Carney and his cabinet pledged to fast-track approvals and asked state-owned pipeline company Trans Mountain Corp. to lead the building of it.
The issue captured public attention. The most prominent pro-Canada group was led by Lukaszuk, who crisscrossed the province in a recreational vehicle to give speeches, hold events and hand out lawn signs. Carney appeared twice at the group’s rallies last week in Calgary and Edmonton.
New York Times
Comment of the Day
“A margin this wide settles the question for a generation. It doesn’t settle the grievances that put it on the ballot.”
Election Results
With 38 percent of vote counted officials have called the result.
You can find updated totals at Alberta 2026 Referendum.
Alberta premier Danielle Smith reduced the number of signatures needed to hold the advisory referendum, but cheered the result.
Related Posts
August 24, 2026: Ontario Prime Minister Responds to Trump “He Can Kiss My Ass”
Trump threatens 50 percent tariffs on auto parts in January. I
September 1, 2026: More Trade War Fallout, BYD Inquires About Buying a Canada Stellantis Plant
BYD is investigating buying an idled Stellantis plant near Toronto.
September 1, 2026: BYD is investigating buying an idled Stellantis plant near Toronto.
Two Senators from Kansas are not happy with Trump’s announcement on Bombardier.
Secession movements fail because the new entity hasn’t persuaded the citizens that their benefits would be unaffected.
That’s what happened in Scotland – an older population of pensioners, that did not want to risk their benefits.
Canada is cooked. The people of Alberta surrendered their leverage to the federal government. As long as the threat of separation was real, Carney had a strong incentive to keep his promises. Now the Greens in Quebec will reassert themselves, and the promises made to Alberta will not be fulfilled.
Ridiculous
That referendum had no chance
Some other considerations
:
In the end, it just means some Albertans are disgruntled that a share of the oil royalties goes to the State (the Crown; the federal government) and the State has competencies that the Province does not. You have this in every country where there are disparities in wealth, especially when it comes to natural resources. It’s just parochial greed amplified by decades of griping and media amplification.
“Alberta dropping out would divide Canada into two non-contiguous land masses, with possible additional balkanization as a result”
Just a quick glance at a map would show you this is not true. It would simply remove a wedge shaped piece out of the country.
The vote is NOT over greed. It’s over self determination at the Provincial (State) level. Canada is much different that the US in that regard. Provinces don’t even control their own supreme courts, the Federal Government appoints them. Imagine trying that at the State level in the US and see how it goes. Many of the Provinces (see Quebec among others) are tired of being dictated to by the Feds on things like their Supreme Courts and what they are and aren’t allowed to do with their resources etc.
This issue isn’t going away in Canada ever and it’s only going to get worse the more the Feds try and dig in and ignore it.
Canada is more like rest of the world than USA. USA is a union of states that have quite a lot of power. But in majority of countries states (or whatever name you have here) are really limited and majority of control sit in federal government.
We can see it in Europe like Catalonia or in UK for quite few decades now but nothing changes really.
Only way to separate would be via some sort of war but I doubt any gen Z or younger folks feel that patriotic for anything except maybe their social media.
But we will definitely see a lot of contempt and complains for any foreseeable future.
The NW Territories is hardly a communications corridor [!]
The Arctic represents only a sliver of Canadians, and little would change if it were ocean instead.
As for self-determination, as you said, Canada is not the US.
Almost every country on earth is much more integrated than is the USA, which is a union on the part of separate states with their own laws. Provinces are mainly administrative regions.
In the States, powers have been devolving from the States to Washington ever since Independence. In Canada, the reverse is true, much power has been decentralized. In Canada you cannot cross provincial boundaries and have your law degree, or nursing, or engineering degree recognized. In fact, it takes more paperwork to drive cargo across Canada than from Rotterdam to Moscow. But this is a compromise with scale of the country and the regions, not any logic or dynamic arising from the nature of the constituent parts or constitutional contradictions.
Self-determination involves a distinct people separating themselves from an occupying power. In Canada there isn’t even a hint of this, except on the part of the French or first nations. The French have spent 60 years talking about independence, but are not willing to pay $1000/ year in less income. In other words, it’s just parlor nationalism. There’s nothing distinct about Albertans other than oil in the ground, and probably half the population has roots elsewhere in Canada.
Resources are owned by the Provinces not the Federal Government.
Section 92A of the Constitution Act, 1867: Grants provincial legislatures exclusive authority to explore, develop, conserve, and manage non-renewable natural resources, forestry resources, and electrical energy generation.
No, it is the “Crown” that is titular owner in law.
The Crown is distributed over federal and provincial competencies.
The term ‘royalties’ is a hint.
The province administers leases and collects royalties, but if the federal government wasn’t benefiting from the disposition of taxes, the whole controversy would be moot.
60.4% of Albertans voted. Less than the 63% that voted in the last provincial election. As the result was highly expected, many of those in the majority did not even bother to vote while it is estimated that a much higher percentage of separation supporters voted. They were correct. The 75% stay vote was what was expected. The other 9 questions were of little consequence.
Q1. Should Alberta have more control over immigration?
Yes – 54.7%
Q2. Should only citizens, permanent residents, and Alberta-approved immigrants have access to provincially funded programs?
Yes – 56.4%
Q3. Should temporary residents have to live in Alberta for 12 months before qualifying for provincial social programs?
Yes – 58.3%
Q4. Should temporary residents pay fees to access public health care and education?
Yes – 57.4%
Q5. Should proof of citizenship be required to vote in Alberta provincial elections?
Yes – 63.5%
Q6. Should provinces, rather than the federal government, choose superior court judges?
Yes – 51.6%
Q7. Should Canada abolish the Senate?
Yes – 53.4%
Q8. Should provinces be able to opt out of federal programs while keeping the federal funding?
No – 51.3%
Q9. Should provincial laws take precedence over federal laws when they conflict in shared jurisdictions?
Yes – 50.6%
Q10. Should Alberta remain in Canada or begin the legal process toward a binding separation referendum?
Remain in Canada – 75.5%;
Separation process – 24.5%
It would like to know that if the Keystone Pipeline were in operation what would what would happen to the idea of a new pipeline to the Pacific being on the list of questions?
The solution for Alberta, all Canadians and every other national economy is to change the monetary paradigm of enforced monetary austerity to abundance with a 50% Discount/Rebate at retail sale which not only doubles everyone’s purchasing power but also creates beneficial deflation…by increasing the money supply therefore invadidating The Quantity theory of Money.Milton Friedman turns over in his grave and the terminally orthodox deride the policy while ignoring its temporal universe effects. JUST MODEL THE POLICY EFFECTS UNTIL YOU SEE THE PARADIGM CHANGE. SHEEEESH!
Ut oh! It’s the window licker again. What Ai model are you? Or what Ai model are you using now? “Doubles purchasing power… and creates deflation.” Wow! You got me there partner. Any links you can point to that break this down for us???
Just do the double entry bookkeeping operations of equal debits and credits that sum to zero…which is the way all new money is currently created…except you change the nature of the money debited back to the merchant from Debt Only to Monetary Gifting. Every economic agent gets an account at the central bank making it The General Reserve instead The Federal Reserve and thus only serving the private banks whose monopoly paradigm of Debt Only serially destabilizies the domestic economy by over indebting the individual and enterprise. Its an aconomically beneficial bailing out of everybody…instead of just the banks …after they cause the problem with their monopoly monetary paradigm. Or you can just deride its temporal universe benefits by not looking at them and become an orthodox dunce.
So the more you spend the more you save? If I buy a business jet, or corvette C8 I will get a 50% rebate? If I can only afford Top Ramen, I will get a 50% rebate too? Sign me up.
76% Overwhelmingly is between The Late Mayor Daley ! and Leonid Brezhnev, so that settles it for all time.
In this case probably – same as Scotland
This in not over yet. There were 10 questions on the referendum and 9 conservatives measure were voted in by majority.
1) 58% Alberta immigration control over Federal
2) 57% NO Govt fund for illegal immigrants
3) 59% 12 months for immigrant social programs
4) 57% Medical fee for illegal immigrants
5) 64% Voter ID
6) 52% Judge from province; not federal
7) 53% Abolish unelected Federal Senate
8) 51% Opt out of Federal programs
9) 51% Provincial law over Federal Law
10) 76% Remain in Canada
35% of voter only filled out question 10. I count 9 out 10 as a win. Brexit did not happen overnight.
To be continued…..
There will not be another referendum.
It’s over
Actually, the Yes vote was only 8% because only 60% of Alberta’s bothered to vote.
In what time frame?
As I said in a post above, Alberta legitimized the separatists by having the vote in the same way Quebec politicians did in the 70s. They had a 2nd vote in the 90s and are talking about another one again.
The issue once legitimized never goes away and continually resurfaces every time something doesn’t go their way. Look at the answers to the other questions and the voting percentages on those.
Thanks. That’s more interesting than the headline.
Brexit was a disaster for the UK, I don’t see Canada going in that direction.
If the Federal Conservatives had a more serious leader rather than a Trump wanna be, conservative issues would get more attention in Canada.
Hopefully people are waking up to the russian propaganda that makes them do stupid things.
Most rural Albertans don’t spend very much time on the internet. One local farmer who is 63 years old, told me he has never turned on a computer and he has an old Nokia phone and doesn’t text either. I know a few guys like him. We spend out time outside working, creating and doing things with our hands. We sure as hell don’t have time to read crap on social media sites and most of us are not on Facebook or any of the other sites. This response is probably the only time I will have to spend on the internet today.
Go outside man! It’s beautiful out there in the real world. Russian propaganda indeed.
Its less conservative issues than it is self determination.
The Federal government in Canada has rammed things down on Alberta for decades and they are tired of it. Unlike the US, there are FAR fewer ‘States rights’ in Canada as the Feds decide who your ‘State Supreme Court Judges’ are. Imagine trying that in the US.
Wrong again Strong. That was a resounding defeat. Saying it’s a victory makes you look just as delusional as the Window Cleaner.
Just like your call that WTI oil would be close to $40 by year end.
I took the other side and said WTI would be closer to $100 by year end.
My only regret was that you weren’t willing to bet any money on it.
A lot of Albertans in the separatist camp don’t really want to separate. They just want to make their voices heard in complaining that the province unjustly supports the have not provinces through the transfer payment system namely Quebec and the Maritime provinces and they have a point in that regard. When it comes right down to separating I would bet fewer than 10% would actually choose to leave.
I think Canada’s transfer payment system to the poorer provinces has been in effect since the 1950’s.
Kind of like blue states subsidize red states down here…
Remember the trumpers confidently predicting that Alberta would separate and join trumplandia?
There’s still Saskatchewan. Witkoff and Kushner are on their way.
Saskatchewan can keep them.
I don’t think this was a particularly overwhelming vote despite what the media claims. 75% means roughly 1/4 would like to leave. When I was a kid growing up in the 70s and 80s a vote like that would have been about 99% to remain.
The problem now is that Alberta has given a legitimate voice to separatists. It’s never ever going away now and instead of being spoken about in hushed tones it’s out in the open. More importantly, they now know they have 25% support province wide where before they were only guessing.
Quebec made the same mistake in the 70s by legitimizing the separatists via voting and allowing them to create their own political party. It’s never ever gone away and they’ve made 2 votes and are always threatening a 3rd and holding the country hostage for grievances regarding French culture over that vote. Right now it appears the separatists may once again take control in Quebec.
I would not be surprised to see a political party appear in Alberta dedicated to separation and Alberta do the same thing as Quebec has done for decades regarding holding the country hostage over grievances.
This was not a great day for Canada.
Voting bloc has powers in a democracy is good, sheesh
It’s a feature, not a bug
The Alberta Independence Party won a seat in 1989. Its been around for decades.
They are on the ballot for most provincial elections.
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Independence_Party_of_Alberta
Thank goodness the MAGA infection has been thwarted by those lovely Canucks.
They still have their population of stupids, and where you find stupid, you find MAGA.
The new 1 million per day pipeline to the west will certainly help with exports, but it is only 20 – 25% of Alberta’s production. It is certainly a good addition, but this leaves them vulnerable to Trump’s abuse. To the Albertians, it does show that Canada’s central government will work with them to increase their exports and grow their economy.
With WTI hitting $105 this morning, Canadian oil is becoming much more profitable!
Trump inadvertently helped strengthen Canadian unity in a big way. With the coming BYD factory, dependence on US autos and trucks will fall and the excess hydroelectric power they export to us will power their EV fleet.
Who does Trump work for?
You might’ve already heard the meme that Chinese citizens refer to DJT sarcastically as “nation builder”, because his policies (starting in his first term) changed some of their perspectives and prompted them to work harder for their own national resilience.
Yes indeed! Trump has strengthened the entire worlds view that the US can no longer be trusted as an ally. It is bizarre how much damage he has done to our reputation and standing in the world.
“Trump has strengthened the entire worlds view that the US can no longer be trusted as an ally.”
We heard similar fretting when Biden left Afghanistan.
The U.S. doesn’t have allies. It has vassals and tools to further American hegemony. Trump revealed that sooner than it otherwise would have become apparent. Europeons who think the U.S. would wade in after a nuclear strike on them are wrong. Countries like the Philippines are being tee’d up to be used in a war with China.
You have a point in that he announced a deal with Russia/Putin to get diesel for his campaign effort in direct conflict with our support of Ukraine.
Does Trump have Ping Pong balls bouncing around in his vacuous cranial cavity?
No, but he does have ping pong balls hanging between his legs.
The Orangutan made no difference to the reputation of the U.S. abroad, but only to their own self image. The rest of the world is not as stupid and made them out decades ago since at least the Gulf War.
They would be fools to separate. Trump would take those results as a mandate to free Alberta and make it a territory like Puerto Rico.
Easier to exploit and worthy of a Nobel.
Yes. And while I don’t know Canadian politics that well, Trump probably aided the loyalist campaign.
An interesting analogy can be drawn between the state of Western Australia and the province of Alberta. Both are roughly comparable in terms of ‘remoteness’ and both are resource rich. Both also have similar British colonia histories. The Western Australia sucession movement has been even longer since pretty much the formation of Australia.
My uninformed read on both. They are dreamers. While both are rich due to resources they underappreciate the political and economical support they get from the other states/provinces. It seems like a one sided deal on paper if you don’t consider the full picture. Not too disimilar to Texas sucession suggestions.
I think the US Civil War is all you need to know.
The Confederates declared themselves independent, which they are allowed to do according to the Constitution. However, once a separate country, they can also be invaded and conquered. At least, that’s one way of looking at it. I’m confident that if Alberta were to secede Trump would immediately declare Alberta part of America. Probably want to name it Trumperica
He’s now trying to rename New Mexico
The stupidity of naming it New America is spectacular.
Next, New York and New England.
He would probably call it North America suggesting he is king of the entire continent.
The difference is Alberta is the one supporting economically and there is essentially zero political support. Western Australia it is not. Politically Alberta is told by Ottawa, if you want support start voting Liberal. Until then you get nothing. Also, send money.
Fifty years ago a popular bumper sticker in Alberta read, “Let those eastern bastards freeze in the dark.” Fifty years and $400 billion in taxes from less than 5 million people later, nothing has changed and in fact many things got worse.
75% of Alberta disagrees with you
And look to Appalachia in the US for a historical context.
Fed the US nation mountain-based coal and hard, dangerous work to help build the country, but it never had real power. Now those areas are some of the poorest in the nation and begging for more handouts.
Appalachia was always a part of New York’s colonial banker empire. It just isn’t said out loud.
“Until then you get nothing”?!
Does the Canadian government buying out Kinder Morgan’s interest in, and footing the whole bill to construct, the twinning of the heavy oil pipeline to Burnaby (TMX) count as nothing.
Talk about selective whining.
Trump has been a gift to centrist politicians everywhere. His idiocy has done more to delegitimize populism than anything HRC or Romney could have done if they were made Maximum Leaders For Life.
“Vote for me, unless you want a dolt like Trump!” is basically how Biden got in.
PR has a great deal. in so many ways. why they always vote NOT to join as a state.
That’s what I thought.
Alberta would just expose itself to Trump – who would claim it as his personal property.
I wonder if they use the same or similar low/no security computerized junk voting units used in the USA (thanks to Barry the Bullshitter)
Electronic voting started before Obama. If you want a smear to stick, it would help if you provide a little more info (like how he extended it, presumably). Especially on this blog where people skew older and less stupid.
Maybe also take 50 seconds to ask an LLM which company the Canadian gov picked and crossref with USA makers.
I didnt downvote. Just offering suggestions.
Definitely not. All paper ballots and proof of address plus two pieces of government issued ID.
Somebody got their data center back up.
Nobody honestly believes that anyone could pull off election fraud on the necessary scale and nobody noticed.
It’s just sour grapes because your side got trounced. If course, had your positions won, you’d be singing the praises of this election.