Residents of Alberta oppose holding a referendum on secession from Canada

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Residents of the oil-rich province of Alberta on Monday overwhelmingly opposed holding a future referendum on its secession from Canada, in a victory for Prime Minister Mark Carney, who praised the "clear choice" for "unity" in the midst of a trade war with the United States.

According to preliminary figures published by the official CBC and private CTV networks, supporters of remaining in Canada won an overwhelming majority, representing more than 76% of the votes, while supporters of the referendum promoted by the separatist movement received about 23% of the votes.

This result is considered a victory for Carney, who grew up in Alberta, and last week he toured the province during which he urged supporters of Canadian unity to participate massively in the vote.

On Tuesday morning, Carney praised the "clear choice" of unity made by this county of 5 million people.

"Canada is a country far greater than the sum of its parts," he said, noting that Alberta and Canada "will move forward together, with renewed resolve and great ambition."

The vote result was in line with opinion polls, which indicated that the percentage of support for secession was less than 25%.

After being marginal a few years ago, the separatist movement in Alberta has become a central party in the political debate in Canada, attracting the attention of the administration of US President Donald Trump and its allies.

At the beginning of the year, Treasury Secretary Scott Besent described Alberta as a "natural partner" of the United States, while the separatists received a rapturous reception at the State Department.

In early October, billionaire Elon Musk called for the independence of the province.

"I will leave for the United States"

In an Edmonton restaurant where supporters of the separatist movement gathered to watch the results, an atmosphere of frustration prevailed.

"Frankly, if this situation continues and we remain within Canada, I will simply leave" to the United States, Jor Dan, 40, told AFP.

Mitch Sylvester, one of the leaders of the separatist movement, confirmed that his movement “awakened something in this province, and this feeling will not disappear soon,” adding, “We did not reach the finish line tonight.”

Thanks to its oil sands deposits, Alberta has the fourth largest proven oil reserves in the world.

These riches are the focus of the demands of secessionists who say that the federal government has restricted the oil industry with its environmental laws, especially during the term of former Prime Minister Justin Trudeau.

In a move contrary to Trudeau's approach, Carney strengthened relations with Alberta authorities and accelerated the construction of a new oil pipeline to the Pacific Coast.

This project, which aims to export Alberta oil to Asia, is one of the main pillars of Carney's strategy aimed at reducing Canada's dependence on the United States.

David Gallagher, 58, voted Monday to remain in Canada. "There is no logic in the arguments of secessionists," he said in Edmonton.

Despite his opposition to Alberta's independence, Hayden Chan, a 21-year-old student, supported holding a referendum "to give the people a choice."

In May, the separatist movement succeeded in collecting enough signatures to launch a popular referendum on independence, before a local judge overturned it on constitutional grounds.

But the province's Conservative leader Danielle Smith, who opposes independence and whose party includes separatists, decided to hold her own referendum.

“Thank you, Alberta!” she said after the initial results appeared, welcoming “the broad support for the option to remain within Canada.”

Analysts likened Smith's decision to call on Albertans to vote, with the aim of calming the separatist wing within her party, to the adventure undertaken by the British government when it organized a referendum in 2016 on the United Kingdom's exit from the European Union (Brexit).

Carney, who was then head of the Bank of England, warned Alberta voters of a "dangerous risk." He said that in the years following Britain's exit from the European Union, "a state of extreme uncertainty prevailed, and investments completely stopped."