Alberta’s three-to-one vote to remain part of Canada was an emphatic rejection of independence and a welcome boost for Mark Carney.
But the referendum has left Canada weaker and more polarised.
Alberta’s surly vote to stay
Canada’s prime minister Mark Carney welcomed the 76 per cent to 24 per cent vote against independence this week as a clear choice by his fellow Albertans.
“They chose unity, to build together and to take care of each other,” he said.
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“Canada is greater than the sum of its parts.”
The big margin of victory has taken Albertan independence off the table for the foreseeable future and the province’s premier, Danielle Smith, who called the referendum, said she would not be putting the issue to a vote again. And she acknowledged actions Carney has taken to address some long-held Albertan grievances, including the fast-tracking of approval for a new pipeline.
“I am well aware that not every grievance Alberta has with Ottawa has been resolved. There are still many political and constitutional battles ahead of us,” she said.
“But I am also convinced that the federal government is no longer targeting and trying to phase out and eliminate Alberta’s largest economic sectors as they attempted to do under the previous prime minister.”
The independence vote was one of 10 measures put to referendum in Alberta on Monday and all but one of the others looked set for approval as the final votes were tallied. Those approved included proposals for curbs on immigration, the exclusion of immigrants from health and social welfare programmes and the charging of fees to immigrants with permanent residency for the cost of their families’ healthcare and education.
Other proposals Albertans approved that will require constitutional change in Canada would abolish the country’s senate and give the provinces control over appointments of judges to their courts. The only proposal that looked set for defeat would have allowed Alberta to opt out of some federal programmes without losing access to federal funds for use in social programmes it would design itself.
Some of the anti-immigration proposals were inspired by the example of Quebec, which reached an agreement with the federal government in 1991 to gain exclusive control over the selection of economic migrants. Quebec held referendums on independence in 1980 and 1985 and the proposal was rejected on both occasions.
The pro-independence Parti Québécois won an election in the French-speaking province this month but fell short of an overall majority. The party had promised a third independence referendum but in a minority government it will be unable to fulfil the pledge, which it said would in any case wait until Donald Trump leaves office in the United States.
Independence may be off the agenda for now in Alberta and Quebec, offering Carney the breathing space he needs to pursue his international goals, including closer relations with the European Union. But the result of Alberta’s other referendums suggests underlying grievances and discontent within Canada’s federation will persist.
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