Carney welcomes Alberta's rejection of separation, points to work with province

Albertans have rejected separation from Canada in a provincial referendum held Oct. 19, a result Prime Minister Mark Carney described as great for Canada.

Carney said the federal government is ready to move ahead with Alberta in the spirit of co-operative federalism, according to The Globe and Mail.

Ballots were still being counted when Carney spoke. Earlier tallies reported by Reuters put the remain side at 76 per cent, compared with 24 per cent for the separation process.

The vote was nonbinding and was the first time Alberta has held a vote on leaving Canada, according to Reuters and Al Jazeera. It was not a direct vote on independence. Approval would have set Alberta on a path toward a future vote on separation, according to U.S. News. The referendum was announced in May following a campaign and petition by Albertans seeking independence.

Voters were asked whether Alberta should remain in Canada. Elections Alberta listed that choice as "Alberta should remain a province in Canada."

Preliminary results also showed strong support for two other propositions: that Alberta should have more provincial control over immigration, and that the Constitution should be reopened to abolish the Senate, give provinces more say over judicial selection and prioritize provincial rights.

Carney told reporters the government takes note of those results. He said responding does not necessarily mean starting with a sweeping overhaul of Canada's power-sharing agreement, and that constitutional change is difficult and long.

On immigration, Carney pointed to steps Ottawa has taken in recent years to curb immigration into Canada. He said next steps need to be dealt with in co-operation with the provinces. By law, the federal government must table an updated immigration levels plan by Nov. 1 each year.

Both Carney and Conservative Leader Pierre Poilievre campaigned in Alberta against separation. Poilievre said it was inappropriate for the prime minister to tell Albertans to vote no on the referendum questions on immigration.