Alberta voters reject a move toward independence in referendum, CBC projects

EDMONTON, Alberta — Voters in Canada’s oil-rich province of Alberta have rejected a proposal to begin a process toward independence, the Canadian Broadcasting Corp. projected early Tuesday, delivering a victory for Prime Minister Mark Carney and supporters of Canadian unity amid U.S. President Donald Trump’s trade war and annexation threats.

The vote was not a direct referendum on independence but would have set oil-rich Alberta on a path toward a future vote on separation from Canada.

With more than 1 million votes counted, about 76% supported remaining in Canada, compared with 23% who backed beginning a process that could lead to separation.

Results were delayed after late openings forced more than 100 polling stations to extend voting hours Monday. More than 1.35 million Albertans, or 43% of eligible voters, cast advance or special ballots. Albertans were deciding whether to remain in Canada or begin a legal process that could have led to a second vote on separation.

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Alberta, 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…

Original source: https://www.nbcnews.com/world