# Alberta's Unsuccessful Secession Vote

> Alberta's secession referendum fails by 50 points, joining Quebec's past unsuccessful independence votes.
- Title: Alberta's Unsuccessful Secession Vote · Nationalpost
- Summary: Alberta's secession referendum fails by 50 points, joining Quebec's past unsuccessful independence votes. Alberta's independence referendum lost…
- Keywords: alberta, quebec, secession referendum, independence vote, canada, referendum, political exercise, news, politics, Alberta's, Unsuccessful, Secession
- Source: Nationalpost — https://nationalpost.com/opinion/first-reading-the-extremely-canadian-pastime-of-holding-an-unsuccessful-secession-referendum
- Read time: 1 min
- Topics: alberta, quebec, secession referendum, independence vote, canada, referendum, political exercise, news, politics
## Alberta's Unsuccessful Secession Vote
Alberta participated in a political exercise that has become quintessentially Canadian: an unsuccessful secession vote.
## Referendum Results
Approximately three-quarters of voters rejected the referendum in favour of remaining a province of Canada.
## Historical Context
Of the handful of historical instances where a subnational jurisdiction voted on independence only to come up short, almost all have happened in Canada.
## Quebec's Past Votes
Quebec's unsuccessful independence referenda in 1980 and 1: 1995 are the other two examples.
## Newfoundland Example
In 1948, Newfoundland voters chose Confederation over independence by a margin of 52.3 per cent.
## Scotland's Vote
Scotland's 2014 independence referendum saw independence lose by nine points (55.7 per cent 'no' vs 44.7 per cent 'yes').
## Alberta's Margin
Alberta's independence option lost by about 50 points (75 per cent 'no' to 25 per cent 'yes').
## Legal Framework
Canada's 2000 Clarity Act allows pieces of Canada to leave provided there is a 'clear will to secede.'
## Key takeaway

Alberta's independence referendum lost overwhelmingly, becoming the third Canadian subnational jurisdiction to fail at secession after Quebec's 1980 and 1995 votes.