On October 19 local time, in the first referendum on seceding from the federation held in Alberta, Canada, residents of that province voted to stay in Canada. Reuters reported that this result was undoubtedly a crucial victory for Prime Minister Justin Trudeau of Canada, who is engaged in a trade war with the United States and is trying to achieve national unity.
On Monday evening, when 33% of the votes had been counted, Canadian Broadcasting Corporation (CBC) announced the results of the referendum—meaning that the "Stay in Canada" camp had won. At that time, up to 76% of the votes supported staying in Canada, while 23% of the votes favored a binding federal referendum on secession. However, this referendum itself is not legally binding.
Khani said in a statement: "The people of Alberta have made a clear choice. They have chosen unity, cooperation, and support for each other."
On October 19, 2026, in Edmonton, Alberta, Canada, a rally was held with banners reading “Eternal Canadians”. Visual China
Previously, polling experts and analysts repeatedly ruled out the possibility of the ‘separatists’ winning, and cited data indicating that only about one-third of residents in Alberta support a referendum on possible separation from the federation.
Alberta Premier Danielle Smith announced the referendum in May this year, saying, "It's time to vote to understand the wishes of the people of Alberta on this issue and move forward."
On the evening of October 19th, Smith posted a statement on social media, expressing her “great joy” at the preliminary results showing broad support for staying in Canada. She announced that she would give a speech to the people of the province on October 20th, discussing the referendum results and “the future direction of our province”.
It is reported that Alberta is an important energy-producing region in Canada. For a long time, some local residents have been dissatisfied with the federal government’s energy policies and the distribution of resource benefits.
Previously, Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau warned in Calgary, Alberta on October 15 that external forces were trying to divide Canada. He called on local voters to vote in favor of staying in Canada during the upcoming referendum.
In that speech, Canning did not directly mention the United States. However, in an interview with Canadian Global News Network earlier that day, he clearly stated that Canada’s national security agencies are monitoring potential foreign interventions.
