Alberta residents voted to remain part of Canada in the province's first-ever referendum on separation, in a much-needed win for Prime Minister Mark Carney as he attempts to unify the country amid a trade war with the US.
CBC News, Canada's government-funded national broadcaster, called the result late Monday after 33% of the vote had been counted. At the time of the call, 76% of tallied votes were in support of the "remain" side versus 23% in favor of the province moving forward with a binding vote on separation. The referendum was nonbinding.
"Albertans made a clear choice," Prime Minister Mark Carney said in a statement. "They chose unity, to build together, and to take care of each other."
"Canada is greater than the sum of its parts," he said.
Pollsters and analysts had repeatedly dismissed the possibility of a separatist victory, citing data that showed about one-third of residents in the western province supported a future referendum on leaving.