EDMONTON — Canadian Prime Minister Mark Carney on Tuesday hailed Alberta’s overwhelming rejection of independence as a “great result” for the country and a victory for national unity. Voters in Canada’s oil-rich province overwhelmingly backed remaining in the country, referendum results showed on Tuesday, delivering a boost to Carney’s push for national unity as US President Donald Trump’s trade war and annexation threats rally Canadians around their country.With more than 1.9 million votes counted and results reported from 90% of voting areas and locations, 75% of voters supported remaining in Canada, while 25% backed beginning a process toward separation, according to unofficial results from Elections Alberta.The referendum was not a direct vote on independence. Approval would have set Alberta on a path toward a future vote on separation from Canada.Speaking to reporters as he walked into a cabinet meeting on Tuesday, Carney said he was “thrilled that Albertans have chosen unity” by rejecting a proposal to pursue separation through a binding referendum.Monday’s referendum was the result of a months-long campaign by separatists in the western Canadian province to get a public vote on the issue.Provincial leader Danielle Smith welcomed the initial results, commenting: “Albertans have voted for a stronger Alberta in a united Canada.”Premier Smith herself opposed the separatist push but said the public will for a vote was undeniable, and many supporters of her own political party – United Conservative Party – were in the separatist camp.In an address to Albertans later on Tuesday, Smith said the voter turnout was “historic and a powerful testimony of the passion Albertans feel for our country and our province”.She added that as long as she is premier, “I will honour this mandate from Albertans and will not be holding another referendum on this issue”.In making the case for independence from Canada, many of the separatists said the oil-rich province’s economic growth had been stifled by the environmental policies of Canada’s central government in Ottawa.But those who opposed a breakup called for Canada to present a united front in the face of external pressures, including an ongoing trade war with the United States.”They’ve chosen to build together,” Carney said. “They’ve chosen to continue to take care of each other, to move forward, to move forward together, with purpose, high ambition.”Carney added that he had spoken to Smith that morning and discussed “moving forward in the spirit of cooperative federalism, including on issues of immigration, other common priorities”.Over the past year, the prime minister has worked with Smith on a number of shared goals, including pushing for an oil pipeline to the Pacific coast.At a pro-separatist watch party in Edmonton, the hum of upbeat chatter quickly quieted as those present saw the projected results.After overnight vote projections were published by Canadian broadcaster CBC and others, the mood soured. The watch party attended by the BBC packed up quickly, and people went home.One of the separatist leaders, Jeffrey Rath, struck a defiant tone, however, vowing that “our movement isn’t stopping and we’re continuing to move forward”.Speaking to the BBC World Service’s Newsday programme, Rath, a lawyer based in Calgary, said he saw Monday’s vote as a “first step” which had taught the movement some “valuable lessons”.Asked whether his movement would push to keep holding votes on independence until it got the result it wanted, he responded “why not?”, and insisted that “the math and the economics” all added up on his side of the argument.Premier Scott Moe, from the province of Saskatchewan, said he was glad Albertans chose unity, but added that “there is still work to be done on improving how Western Canada is treated by Ottawa”.Pierre Poilievre, the leader of Canada’s Conservative party and a member of parliament from Alberta, said on social media that “the promise of Canada is worth fighting for”.”Now our focus must be on results in people’s lives: affordable food and homes, safe streets, strong borders, and less immigration,” he said.Smith called the vote after a grassroots group gathered about 300,000 signatures on a petition seeking a binding referendum on separation.The petition was blocked by a judge, saying it failed to consult indigenous First Nations people – however, Smith opted to go ahead with the ballot.Another group collected signatures for its own petition that opposed separation, which was signed by more than 400,000 people.The key question on Monday’s voting paper asked: “Should Alberta remain a province of Canada or should the Government of Alberta commence the legal process required under the Canadian Constitution to hold a binding provincial referendum on whether or not Alberta should separate from Canada?”It’s the first time a Canadian province has weighed the issue of separation since Quebec’s two referendums, in 1980 in 1995.Both of those were unsuccessful, but Alberta separatists believe Quebec used the threat of independence to gain significant political leverage over Canada’s central government.Smith said before the vote that if Albertans chose the remain option, a binding referendum on separation would not be held – at least, not while she was in power.Despite the projected results, the conversation around Albertan sovereignty is not over.Separatist leaders have indicated that they plan to try and push Smith out of power within her United Conservative Party, in the hope of installing a leader who is more sympathetic to their cause.Another separatist leader, Mitch Sylvestre, told the BBC on polling day that “a lot of work will have to be done” to curb the appetite for independence if his side did lose.Although responses to the referendum question were tallied first, there were nine other non-binding questions on Monday’s ballot paper.Five of these dealt with immigration, while the other four focused on the Canadian constitution.Early results suggest that most will pass, including proposals for the province to take increased control over immigration levels.
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