Alberta Referendum Results: 76% Vote to Stay in Canada

Alberta voters have chosen to stay in Canada. In the Alberta referendum held Monday, Oct. 19, 2026, about 76% backed remaining a province of Canada, while roughly 24% supported starting the legal process toward a binding vote on separation, according to unofficial results from Elections Alberta. The CBC News Decision Desk projected a “remain” win shortly after midnight.

The result ends, for now, a months-long fight over separatism in Canada’s main oil-producing province. It also hands Prime Minister Mark Carney a win on national unity during a period of trade tension with the United States, the Associated Press noted.

Alberta referendum results so far

The independence item was one of 10 questions on the ballot, and it was not a direct vote on leaving Canada. Voters chose between keeping Alberta in Canada and directing the provincial government to begin the constitutional process for a later, binding separation referendum.

• Remain in Canada: about 76%, per unofficial Elections Alberta figures reported by AP and The Globe and Mail.
• Start the separation process: about 24%.
• Count status: AP said more than 1.5 million votes had been counted. The Globe reported that 74% of voting locations had reported by 5 a.m. Mountain Time.

The other nine questions, five on immigration and four on constitutional changes, were still being counted Tuesday morning. They include proposals on provincial control of immigration, proof of citizenship to vote, and abolishing the federal Senate.

What Smith and Carney said

Premier Danielle Smith, who put the question on the ballot earlier this year after duelling citizen petitions, wrote on X that she was “very pleased” with the early results. “Albertans have voted for a stronger Alberta in a united Canada,” she said, CBC News reported. Smith planned to address Albertans at 6:45 p.m. local time on Tuesday about “where our province goes from here.” Earlier this month, she said that if Albertans voted to remain, she would not hold a second independence referendum while she is premier.

Carney said the result showed that “Albertans and all Canadians will move forward together with renewed purpose and high ambition.” During a stop in Alberta last week, he urged voters to say “No to the Nine,” a federalist campaign slogan that called for rejecting the nine questions not about separation.

How each side responded

Thomas Lukaszuk, founder of the federalist group Forever Canadian, told supporters that Alberta would not be the “weak link” in Confederation. He also called for dialogue with the province’s independence supporters. “As Canadians, as Albertans, we cannot go on fighting with each other,” he said.

Monte Solberg, founder of the Vote to Stay campaign, said it was “time to put the question of separation to rest.” On the other side, Keith Wilson, co-leader of the pro-independence group Let Alberta Decide, said the vote shows that about a quarter of Albertans believe the province needs better treatment. “Tonight concludes a campaign, but the conversation about Alberta’s future in Canada … will continue,” he said.

Jeffrey Rath, co-founder of the Alberta Prosperity Project, said the movement would keep organizing. He also said the United Conservative Party should discuss “whether or not we want to continue to be led by a federalist.” Polls had suggested a slight majority of UCP voters favoured the separation option, according to CBC.

Turnout, delays and foreign influence concerns

Elections Alberta had forecast record turnout of 80% to 85%, compared with 60.5% in the last provincial election, CBC reported. More than 1.3 million people voted at advance polls or by mail. Election-day results were delayed after more than 100 polling stations opened late, and one station in Cardston-Siksika stayed open past its scheduled close.

The campaign also drew scrutiny over online interference. Researchers at the University of Regina’s Centre for Artificial Intelligence, Data, and Conflict reported that most suspected foreign influence activity aimed at the referendum traced to Russian sources, with a growing share from U.S. sources, according to an Oct. 16 Globe and Mail report summarized on the referendum’s Wikipedia page. For background on that kind of campaign, see our explainer on Russian hybrid operations.

Why the vote matters beyond Canada

Alberta holds most of Canada’s oil reserves, and its energy exports flow heavily to the United States. A strong vote to stay reduces uncertainty for investors and for cross-border trade, at a time when tariffs are already reshaping North American commerce, as explained in our guide to U.S. tariff and economic policy. Watch Smith’s Tuesday address and the final counts on the nine other questions, which could still change provincial policy on immigration and the constitution.

Featured photo: The Alberta Legislature Building in Edmonton, by D. Benjamin Miller, CC0, via Wikimedia Commons (cropped). File photo from June 2024.

Sources

• CBC News: Albertans vote to remain in Canada, CBC News projects
• AP: Canada’s oil-rich Alberta rejects a move toward independence in referendum
• The Globe and Mail: Morning Update, Alberta chooses to stay
• Elections Alberta: Unofficial results, 2026 Referendum
• Wikipedia: 2026 Alberta independence referendum