Alberta voters weigh future in Canada

Forever Canadian signs in front of a home in Edmonton, Alberta, Canada, Sept. 28, 2026. John Diep/Bloomberg via Getty Images hide caption John Diep/Bloomberg via Getty Images EDMONTON, Alberta — For decades, Alberta separatism remained on the political margins. Now, voters in the oil-rich Canadian province are deciding whether to take the first step toward a future referendum on independence. The nonbinding referendum vote on Monday is the first time the province has put the question of separation to a public vote, in what Elections Alberta has described as the largest electoral event in the province's history. Polls indicate that Alberta voters will overwhelmingly reject the option of beginning the legal process toward a referendum on separation. Pollsters generally estimate that about one in five Albertans support separation from Canada. But the vote has brought the question of Alberta's place in the Canadian federation to the forefront of public debate. The questions on the ballot Essentially, this is a referendum about whether to hold another referendum on separation. There are 10 questions in total. The first nine address immigration, access to provincial services such as heal...