On Tuesday, 20 October 2026, after Monday’s vote, the unofficial count shows Alberta voters chose for the province to remain in Canada. The ballot question was not immediate independence. It asked whether the provincial government should start the constitutional process for a later binding referendum on separation.

According to unofficial Elections Alberta figures cited by NPR, of more than one million votes counted, about 77% were for remaining in Canada and about 23% for starting that process. CBC News projected a win for the “remain” option, with 76.6% of the votes counted by 11:30 p.m.

Official results are due from Elections Alberta on 29 October. Other questions on the same ballot, on immigration and constitutional changes, were still being counted; they are not mixed here with Monday night’s unity tally.

Prime Minister Mark Carney said Albertans “chose unity” and “chose Canada”. Premier Danielle Smith, who opposed independence but put the question on the ballot under pressure from her party, wrote that voters chose “a stronger Alberta in a united Canada”. She said she would address the province on Tuesday evening; that speech is not treated here as delivered.

Results on the Canada question were delayed after a polling station in the Cardston-Siksika riding stayed open later than planned. This is not a final tally.

NPR ties Carney’s unity campaign to the trade clash with the United States and to Donald Trump’s annexation threats. That is context from the reporting, not a proven cause of the percentages.

Alberta holds large oil reserves, and resentment toward Ottawa is old. On this count, it did not become a majority for opening a separation process.

Image: Alberta Legislature Building, Edmonton, 27 September 2026, Chris Woodrich, CC BY-SA 4.0, Wikimedia Commons. The legislature, not a polling station.

Sources consulted: Alberta voters reject a move toward independence backing Canadian unity — NPR; Albertans vote to remain in Canada, CBC News projects — CBC News; Unofficial Results — 2026 Referendum — Elections Alberta.