Alberta votes in a historic referendum that asks whether to stay in Canada or start a separation process
Polls opened Monday across the oil-rich province on 10 questions; the key non-binding Question 10 asks voters to choose remaining in Canada or launching the legal path to a later binding separation vote. More than 1.3 million had already cast early ballots.
Albertans went to the polls on Monday in what Elections Alberta called the largest referendum exercise in Canadian history. Voters face 10 separate ballots; Question 10, which is not binding, asks whether Alberta should remain a province of Canada or whether the provincial government should start the constitutional process needed to hold a later binding referendum on separation. Polling stations were open from 9 a.m. to 8 p.m. Mountain Time. By Sunday, more than 1.3 million people had already voted in advance or by mail.
Polls have consistently shown a majority against splitting from Canada, but the campaign has deepened divides in a province of about five million people and drawn a late push from Prime Minister Mark Carney urging voters to stay. Separatist and federalist camps held rival rallies at the legislature in Edmonton over the weekend. Unofficial results for Question 10 are to be released first after all stations close, with the full count due within 48 hours. Source: BBC News (with Elections Alberta, The Globe and Mail)