Albertans vote to stay in Canada in separation referendum, early results show

After more than a third of the votes were counted, 76% of voters chose to stay in Canada, while 23% favored holding another referendum on leaving the country.

The referendum was initiated by Alberta's conservative premier, Danielle Smith. The source says she became leader of the United Conservative Party largely with the support of separatists who pushed out the previous premier, Jason Kenney.

Separatists sought to put the question of leaving Canada to a vote through a petition, but a court blocked that effort. Smith then proposed first asking the province's residents whether they want to hold a referendum on separation. The ballot question asked Albertans whether they wanted to remain in Canada or begin the process toward a binding referendum on separation.

Smith later wrote that she is very pleased the referendum confirmed "broad support for keeping the province in Canada."

Canadian Prime Minister Mark Carney also welcomed the results, which he said "mean that Albertans and all Canadians will move forward together with renewed purpose and high ambition."

"Canada is so much greater than the sum of its parts. Now it is our opportunity to take all that we have been given as Canadians – and we have been given the greatest country in the world – and make our country better for all of us," he wrote.

On May 22, Alberta decided to put to a referendum the question of whether the region should remain part of Canada or whether a second vote on separation should be held.

In January, the Financial Times reported that U.S. President Donald Trump's administration held secret meetings with the leadership of the Alberta Prosperity Project (APP), an organization that advocates for Alberta's independence from Canada.