# Alberta votes on path to independence referendum

> Canada's oil-rich Alberta holds a consultation Monday on whether to pursue separation, testing national unity as PM Carney faces a US trade war.
- Title: Alberta votes on path to independence referendum · RFI
- Summary: Canada's oil-rich Alberta holds a consultation Monday on whether to pursue separation, testing national unity as PM Carney faces a US trade war. Alberta…
- Keywords: alberta, canada, independence referendum, mark carney, danielle smith, canadian unity, oil industry, separatism, news, world, votes, path
- Source: RFI — https://rfi.fr/en/international/20261019-alberta-votes-on-path-to-independence-in-test-of-canadian-unity
- Read time: 1 min
- Topics: alberta, canada, independence referendum, mark carney, danielle smith, canadian unity, oil industry, separatism, news, world
## Alberta's independence vote Monday
Voters in Canada's oil-rich Alberta province decide Monday whether to open a path towards an independence referendum. The consultation tests national unity as PM Mark Carney confronts a trade war with the US.
## Record early voting in Alberta
More than one point three five million people, representing forty three percent of eligible voters, cast advance or special ballots before Monday's consultation.
## Carney urges voters to turn out
Opinion polls put support for independence at roughly a quarter of Albertans. PM Carney, who grew up in Edmonton, has urged voters to turn out rather than assume the result is settled.

> Canada is worth fighting for. And that means turning up and voting. Polls don't vote, people do.
## Ten questions on Alberta's future
Monday's ballot contains ten questions covering immigration, constitutional changes and Alberta's relationship with the federal government.
## Oil wealth fuels the independence debate
Alberta holds most of Canada's proven oil reserves.Separatists say residents should benefit more directly from those resources and resent federal taxes and policies they believe constrain the industry.
## First Nations veto over separation
Chief Sheldon Sunshine of Sturgeon Lake Cree Nation says Alberta cannot leave without First Nations' consent, citing treaties that predate the province. His nation, he says, would remain in Canada regardless of Monday's result.
## Key takeaway

Alberta voters decide Monday whether to open a path to an independence referendum, with polls showing separatists facing an uphill battle amid broader tensions over Canadian unity.