Alberta referendum news: The Alberta Referendum Results are decisive. With 92.67 per cent of polls reported, about 75.3 per cent of voters chose to remain in Canada, giving a clear answer to the province’s first-ever separation referendum.
By Maplestime News Desk | Edmonton, Alberta | October 21, 2026
Sources: Palliser Post | Okay News | Poliwave | WESAL TV | Last updated: October 21, 2026
Key Takeaways
- The Alberta Referendum Results on Question 10: about 75.3 per cent voted to remain in Canada (1,498,924 votes) against 24.7 per cent for starting the legal process toward a binding separation referendum (492,264), with 92.67 per cent of polls reported.
- CBC Decision Desk projected the remain victory in the Alberta Referendum Results on Monday night.
- Premier Danielle Smith ruled out any further separation referendum while she is premier.
- Smith opened her Tuesday address honouring four Canadian Armed Forces members killed in Saturday’s CFB Wainwright fire and pledged support for 27 injured soldiers.
- Prime Minister Mark Carney, Pierre Poilievre, and Ontario Premier Doug Ford welcomed the result. NDP leader Naheed Nenshi blamed Smith for forcing the debate on the province.
- All five immigration and voting measures passed with 54 to 64 per cent. Three of four constitutional questions (6, 7, 9) narrowly passed; Question 8 narrowly failed with 50.9 per cent voting no.
- The vote was non-binding. Official results are due from Elections Alberta on Oct. 29.
The Alberta Referendum Results in Numbers
The Alberta Referendum Results on Question 10 were the ones the whole country was watching: remain in Canada, or start the legal process toward a binding referendum on separation. With 92.67 per cent of polls reported, the answer was emphatic. Roughly 1,498,924 Albertans voted to stay, about 75.3 per cent, against 492,264 who voted to begin the road out.
CBC’s Decision Desk called it on Monday night, and the margin only grew from there. Three out of every four voters chose Canada.
Related: B.C. Election 2026: Surrey Becomes the Battleground as 65 Percent of Voters Say They Want Change
Smith Rules Out Another Separation Vote
In a televised address Tuesday evening, Premier Danielle Smith said the Alberta Referendum Results amount to a mandate to keep Alberta in Canada and committed that there would be no further separation referendum while she is premier: “It is time to move forward together as a strong and free Alberta within a united Canada.”
Smith opened the address by paying tribute to the four Canadian Armed Forces members killed in Saturday’s fire at CFB Wainwright: Pte. Aidan Golding, Pte. Sean Farrell, Pte. Hayden Lickmark, and Sgt. Morgan Wong. She pledged the province’s support for the 27 injured soldiers now in Alberta hospitals.
Carney, Poilievre, Ford React
Reactions to the Alberta Referendum Results came quickly. Prime Minister Mark Carney welcomed the verdict: “They chose unity, to build together, and to take care of each other.” He added that “Albertans made a clear choice.”
Conservative leader Pierre Poilievre and Ontario Premier Doug Ford also welcomed the result, with Ford urging Ottawa to back new pipelines as a show of good faith to the West.
NDP leader Naheed Nenshi took a different line, criticizing Smith for foisting the separation debate on the province in the first place.
What Else Was on the Ballot
The Alberta Referendum Results covered more than separation. All five immigration and voting measures passed with between 54 and 64 per cent of the vote. Three of the four constitutional questions, numbers 6, 7, and 9, narrowly passed.
Question 8, which would have let Alberta opt out of federal programs without losing funding, narrowly failed, with 50.9 per cent voting no.
What Happens Next
The referendum was non-binding, but the politics are now binding. Smith has closed the door on a second vote under her leadership, and Ottawa has been handed both a clear result and a clear expectation: a united Canada that takes Alberta’s concerns seriously.
Elections Alberta is expected to release official results on Oct. 29. Until then, these Alberta Referendum Results stand as unofficial but decisive: Alberta chose Canada, three to one.
Maplestime will provide updates from Alberta as official referendum results are released on Oct. 29.
Have a tip about Alberta politics? Email [email protected]
Have a correction? Email [email protected]
Is the separation debate finally over in Alberta, or will it be back the moment Ottawa and Edmonton disagree on pipelines again? Tell us in the comments. And share this with every Canadian who cares about keeping this country together.
Enjoying Maplestime? Support independent Canadian journalism — no paywall, no corporate owners.
