<\/p>\n
Supporters wait for results at the pro-Canada watch party in Edmonton, Alberta Monday, Oct. 19, 2026. (James Maclennan\/The Canadian Press via AP)<\/p>\n
James Maclennan\/James Maclennan\/The Canadian Pre<\/p>\n
Political signs are posted on a property’s fence in Wainwright, Alberta, Canada, Monday, Oct. 19, 2026.<\/p>\n
Ty O’Neil\/AP Photo\/Ty O’Neil<\/p>\n
Canada’s Prime Minister Mark Carney signs an autograph as he attends a national unity rally in Red Deer, Alberta, Friday Oct. 16, 2026. (John Ulan\/The Canadian Press via AP)<\/p>\n
John Ulan\/John Ulan\/The Canadian Press via<\/p>\n
Forever Canadian founder Thomas Lukaszuk speaks at the pro-Canada watch party in Edmonton, Alberta Monday, Oct. 19, 2026. (James Maclennan\/The Canadian Press via AP)<\/p>\n
James Maclennan\/James Maclennan\/The Canadian Pre<\/p>\n
Supporters react to voting results at the pro Canada watch party in Edmonton, Alberta Monday, Oct. 19, 2026. (James Maclennan\/The Canadian Press via AP)<\/p>\n
James Maclennan\/James Maclennan\/The Canadian Pre<\/p>\n
EDMONTON, Alberta (AP) \u2014 Voters in Canada\u2019s oil-rich Alberta province overwhelmingly backed remaining in Canada, with early referendum results Tuesday delivering a boost to Prime Minister Mark Carney\u2019s push for national unity amid U.S. President Donald Trump\u2019s trade war and annexation threats.<\/p>\n
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With more than 1.4 million votes counted, 76% supported remaining in Canada, while close to 24% backed beginning a process toward separation, according to unofficial results from Elections Alberta.<\/p>\n
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The referendum wasn’t a direct vote on independence. Approval would have set Alberta on a path toward a future vote on separation from Canada.<\/p>\n
\u201cAlbertans made a clear choice,\u201d Carney said. \u201cThey chose unity, to build together, and to take care of each other. Above all, Albertans chose Canada.\u201d<\/p>\n
Carney said that the result would allow Canadians to move forward together and accelerate efforts to diversify trade, develop major infrastructure projects and make Canada a global energy powerhouse, with Alberta at its center.<\/p>\n
Alberta’s separatists, however, saw a silver lining.<\/p>\n
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\u201cWe don\u2019t have the final results. I think the numbers are going to fluctuate, but it is fair to say that at least a quarter of Albertans feel that Alberta needs to be treated better,\u201d said Keith Wilson, a leader of the separatist movement.<\/p>\n
Alberta Premier Danielle Smith welcomed the early results, saying they showed widespread support for remaining in Canada.<\/p>\n
\u201cAlbertans have voted for a stronger Alberta in a united Canada,\u201d Smith posted on social media.<\/p>\n
Smith, who called the referendum amid pressure from separatists within her governing United Conservative Party, or UCP, despite opposing independence, said that she would address the province Tuesday evening about the results and Alberta\u2019s future.<\/p>\n
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\u201cWe are a solid country that\u2019s united from coast to coast to coast,\u201d Thomas Lukaszuk, a former Alberta deputy premier who led the Forever Canadian campaign against separation, told supporters.<\/p>\n
Results were delayed after late openings forced more than 100 polling stations to extend voting hours Monday.<\/p>\n
Alberta, home to the world\u2019s fourth-largest proven oil reserves, is cowboy country and a conservative stronghold whose political culture has long had more in common with the American West than much of Canada. Resentment toward Canada’s federal government in Ottawa runs deep, but hasn’t traditionally translated into widespread support for independence.<\/p>\n
Despite the proposal\u2019s apparent failure, separatist leaders have said they turned a fringe cause into a movement that won’t disappear.<\/p>\n
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Carney earlier urged Albertans to deliver a decisive vote for unity.<\/p>\n
\u201cVote like Canada\u2019s future depends on it, because it does,\u201d he told a rally on Friday in Edmonton, where he grew up.<\/p>\n
Separatist parties traditionally attracted only 1% or 2% of the vote, former Premier Jason Kenney said. Anger over COVID-19 restrictions helped mobilize activists who later embraced the separatist movement, he said.<\/p>\n
Trump\u2019s trade war and threats to make Canada the 51st U.S. state have helped Carney rally support in Alberta, where Liberal prime ministers have historically been unpopular.<\/p>\n
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At a separatist referendum night gathering at an Edmonton restaurant, the crowd fell quiet as results rolled in.<\/p>\n
\u201cWe\u2019re not going anywhere,\u201d said Jeff Rath of the Alberta Prosperity Project. \u201cWe\u2019ve dominated the conversation in the last year. We\u2019ve been educating Albertans on the benefits of independence, and we\u2019re going to continue moving forward.\u201d<\/p>\n
Rath had said he would be thrilled if 30% of Albertans voted to begin the separation process. He wants Smith ousted as leader of her governing United Conservative Party and said the party could splinter, potentially creating a new pro-independence party.<\/p>\n
Dustin Degenhardt, a Wainwright voter, said that Albertans have long been mistreated by Canada’s federal government.<\/p>\n
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\u201cAlberta has essentially been treated as, you know, a colony,\u201d he said after voting Monday. \u201cThey want to take and take and take from us, and not return anything.\u201d<\/p>\n
Dave Malka, 59, of Edmonton, criticized spending money on a \u201creferendum on a referendum\u201d rather than healthcare.<\/p>\n
With Trump threatening Canada, Malka said, \u201cIt seems to be happening at the absolute worst time when we should be united; instead we\u2019re fighting among ourselves.\u201d<\/p>\n
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Ty ONeil contributed to this report from Wainwright.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"Supporters wait for results at the pro-Canada watch party in Edmonton, Alberta Monday, Oct. 19, 2026. (James Maclennan\/The…\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":471392,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[8],"tags":[30686,159881,18790,159887,159883,145,159882,159886,159885,45003,118740,23681,59373,84874,59371,84875,156741,146549,61262,82,84,83,159884],"class_list":["post-471391","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","category-san-antonio","tag-alberta","tag-alberta-canada-referendum-indepence-carney","tag-canada","tag-danielle-smith","tag-dave-malka","tag-donald-trump","tag-dustin-degenhardt","tag-jason-kenney","tag-jeff-rath","tag-keith-wilson","tag-mark-carney","tag-package-100024-ap-online","tag-package-100373-mc-complete-state-national","tag-product-30597-ap-business-news-f-wire","tag-product-30598-ap-national-news-report-a-wire","tag-product-31995-ap-online-general-financial-business-news","tag-product-32498-ap-online-newsalerts","tag-product-32500-ap-online-canada-news","tag-product-46986-ap-online-top-stories","tag-san-antonio","tag-san-antonio-headlines","tag-san-antonio-news","tag-thomas-lukaszuk"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-tx\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/471391","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-tx\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-tx\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-tx\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-tx\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=471391"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-tx\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/471391\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-tx\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/471392"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-tx\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=471391"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-tx\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=471391"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-tx\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=471391"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}