Residents of Alberta, the oil-rich province bordering Montana, overwhelmingly voted to remain in Canada.

“With 86 percent of votes counted, 75.5 percent of voters chose to remain part of Canada, with 24.5 percent seeking another vote,” The New York Times reports.

The referendum was not a direct vote on independence.

Approval would have set up a future vote on Alberta separating from Canada.

The result was a welcome boost for Prime Minister Mark Carney, who is trying to keep Canada united.

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More from The New York Times:

Mr. Carney’s efforts to promote Canadian unity and lessen Canada’s economic dependence on the United States stem from recent threats by President Trump. Since his second term began, Mr. Trump has insulted Canada and its leaders, levied punishing tariffs in an ongoing trade war, and repeatedly suggested that the country should be annexed as the 51st U.S. state. Some prominent separatists leaders traveled to Washington three times last year seeking support in meetings with low-level State Department officials.

Mr. Carney, who was raised in Alberta’s capital, Edmonton, called the referendum a “dangerous bluff.” Mr. Carney was governor of the Bank of England when Britain voted to leave the European Union in 2016. He received enthusiastic receptions at two large rallies for those who supported remaining in Canada last week, in Edmonton and Calgary.

The referendum reflected the province’s long history of resentment toward the central government but also more recent discontents. Many of the separatist leaders became politically prominent by organizing large protests against restrictions during the Covid pandemic.

In a speech to supporters in Edmonton, Thomas Lukaszuk, a former provincial lawmaker whose Forever Canadian organization led the campaign to oppose secession, addressed Mr. Trump, saying the vote “will send a very strong message to the rest of the world: Don’t mess with Canada.”

Unlike in Quebec, a province that held two unsuccessful votes on leaving Canada, secessionist sentiments have always been a minority viewpoint in Alberta. Still, before the vote opponents of separatism worried that voters might support holding a second referendum to show their unhappiness with the province’s relationship with Canada, even if they did not want to secede.

“This morning, I spoke with Premier @ABDanielleSmith about the results of yesterday’s vote. Over the past 18 months, our governments have worked together to deliver on what matters most to Albertans. Now, we have an opportunity to build on that progress,” Carney said.

“Albertans have chosen Canada, and we’re moving forward together with renewed purpose and high ambition — to build a stronger future for all,” he added.

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Alberta’s separatists, however, saw a silver lining.

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“It is fair to say that at least a quarter of Albertans feel that Alberta needs to be treated better,” said Keith Wilson, a leader of the separatist movement.

Smith welcomed the early results, saying they showed widespread support for remaining in Canada.

“Albertans have voted for a stronger Alberta in a united Canada,” Smith posted on social media.

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’s future.

“We are a solid country that’s united from coast to coast to coast,” Thomas Lukaszuk, a former Alberta deputy premier who led the Forever Canadian campaign against separation, told supporters.

 

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