Alberta: Majority according to first forecast against independence of Canada

Canadians call on their citizens to participate in the non-binding independence referendum

The residents of the Canadian province of Alberta have spoken according to initial forecasts against further steps towards independence from Canada. More than 76 percent of voters favored the province remaining in Canada, broadcasters CBC and CTV News reported. The final result is due to be published on 29 October, according to the Electoral Authority.

Alberta residents voted on Monday in a referendum on whether the province should seek a second binding referendum on separation from Canada – as well as nine other immigration and constitutional issues. Specifically, they asked: “Should Alberta remain a Canadian province, or should the Alberta government initiate the legal process required by the Canadian Constitution to hold a binding referendum in the province on whether Alberta should secede from Canada or not?”

Alberta is located in the west of the country and is considered particularly conservative. Many pro-independence advocates believe that Alberta makes a major economic contribution to Canada’s prosperity, but is politically disadvantaged by the Ottawa government.

With a population of around five million, the province is the center of Canada’s oil and gas industry and boasts huge oil sands deposits. The climate policy of the Canadian government, such as CO2 taxes and guidelines for the energy industry, is seen by separatists as an attack on the economic basis of the province. The separatists had already announced in advance that a referendum against them would not be seen as the end of their aspirations.

There have already been two independence referendums in Canada in the past – but both in the French-speaking province of Quebec. At the beginning of October, the separatist Parti Québécois emerged as the strongest force in the regional elections. She wants another referendum on the independence of the province. According to surveys, however, there is currently no majority in the population.

The independence movement in Alberta, which was still insignificant a few years ago, has now also aroused the interest of US President Donald Trump, who has repeatedly spoken about making Canada the 51st federal state in the United States. For example, the separatists were received at the State Department in Washington a few months ago, and US tech entrepreneur Elon Musk spoke out in early October in favor of the secession of the province of Canada.

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