Albertans vote to remain in Canada, CBC and CTV project

As of 7:55 a.m. ET, Tuesday, Oct. 20, 2026

"The CBC News Decision Desk is now projecting a 'remain' win in the Alberta referendum," CBC News reported at 1:14 a.m. ET Tuesday. CTV News followed on X at 1:32 a.m. ET: "#BREAKING: Albertans support staying in Canada, oppose separation referendum, CTV News projects."

Partial, unofficial results from Elections Alberta, updated at 7:55 a.m. ET, showed 1,347,763 votes, or 75.9%, for Option 1, "Alberta should remain a province in Canada," and 427,159 votes, or 24.1%, for Option 2, which called for the provincial government to begin the legal process required under the Canadian Constitution to hold a binding referendum on separation. Elections Alberta listed 4,257 of 5,586 voting areas and locations as reporting.

Elections Alberta's results page says official results will be released Thursday, Oct. 29.

The referendum was non-binding and asked residents whether they wanted to remain part of Canada or begin the legal process required to hold a binding vote on separation, Reuters reported in a story carried by the New Straits Times. Reuters described the result as "a win for Prime Minister Mark Carney as he attempts to unify the country amid an ongoing trade war with the US."

Alberta Premier Danielle Smith posted on X: "I’m very pleased to see the initial results from Elections Alberta show widespread support for remaining in Canada. Albertans have voted for a stronger Alberta in a united Canada." She said she would address Albertans live at 6:45 p.m. local time Tuesday "to discuss the results of all referendum questions for which results are available, and where our province goes from here."

Carney posted a statement on X that said, "On October 19, Albertans made a clear choice. They chose unity, to build together, and to take care of each other." The statement added: "Above all, Albertans chose Canada."

Read GROKsiNEWS.com's preview of the referendum.