Janis Irwin, NDP member of the legislative assembly for Edmonton-Highlands-Norwood, left, cheers with Deputy Leader of Alberta's NDP Rakhi Pancholi, right, as results arrive at the pro Canada watch party in Edmonton, Alberta Monday, Oct. 19, 2026
\n\nOttawa: Alberta residents have voted against a proposal to hold a binding referendum on whether to initiate the process of separating the province from Canada, according to public broadcaster CBC News. Results were delayed after late openings forced more than 100 polling stations to extend voting hours on Monday. More than 1.35 million Albertans, or 43 per cent of eligible voters, cast advance or special ballots.
\n\nAccording to reports, in the preliminary results, over 76 per cent of people voted to remain in Canada, while the rest voted to hold an independence referendum. The vote was not a direct referendum on independence. Albertans were deciding whether to remain in Canada or begin a legal process that could lead to a second vote on separation.
\n\nAlberta, home to the world's 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 Ottawa runs deep but…
Original source: https://www.timesnownews.com/world
