From BBC News · · 1m 40s
Alberta votes on holding separation referendum
Albertans head to the polls Monday to decide whether to hold a binding vote on leaving Canada, after a grassroots petition gathered 300,000 signatures.
In brief
Albertans head to the polls Monday to decide whether to hold a binding vote on leaving Canada, after a grassroots petition gathered 300,000 signatures. Alberta holds a vote Monday on whether to hold a binding referendum on separating from Canada, driven by concerns over federal environmental policies affecting the…
Alberta votes on separation Monday
People in Alberta head to the polls Monday to decide whether to hold a binding referendum on separating from Canada at a later date.
Petition sparked the vote
The vote was called by Alberta's leader Danielle Smith after a grassroots group gathered about three hundred thousand signatures on a petition asking for a binding referendum on separation.
Separatists blame federal policy
Those supporting separation say the oil-rich province's economic growth has been stifled by environmental policies of Canada's central government in Ottawa.
Opposition warns of economic harm
Those opposing separation, including Prime Minister Mark Carney, warn a newly independent Alberta would inherit billions in debt and face uncertainty like Brexit.
Court blocked petition, First Nations object
A court blocked the pro-separation petition for failing to consult indigenous First Nations whose land would be affected. First Nations groups have branded Smith's decision to allow voting as undemocratic and authoritarian.
Smith defends the process
Smith, leader of the United Conservative Party, opposes separation herself but says the vote gives residents a chance to have their say on the issue.
Referendum could happen by twenty twenty-seven
If Albertans vote Monday to move ahead with a binding referendum, that could happen as soon as twenty twenty-seven, Smith has said. Results should be available in the early hours of Tuesday.
What it means
Alberta holds a vote Monday on whether to hold a binding referendum on separating from Canada, driven by concerns over federal environmental policies affecting the oil-rich province's economy.
